The tech costs more than conventional options upfront, but federal tax credits, new 120V models and strong savings have made them more appealing than ever.
Heat pumps lose efficiency far above arctic temperatures. Below 40F, the efficiency drops quickly. Also, a heat pump water heater doesn’t do all the heating itself. It still uses an electric coil to get to the desired temps.
I personally would like to switch to on demand due to the space savings. Having a tank take up space in my garage is annoying.
Yes we actually can’t even run our heat pump mini-split below 40, it runs too many defrost cycles and can’t heat the room. We installed a wood pellet stove to use for those temps.
It’s a Carrier 38MARB Performance Heat Pump, and it SAYS it’s rated at 100% efficiency down to 5 deg F but I can tell you from experience that it starts buckling below freezing. I have monitored it over a whole winter season and when we hit the 20s it starts running defrost cycles every 15-20 minutes. Each cycle takes about 5-10 minutes to defrost. It’s not able to keep the room warm.
Granted, this is a 500 sq ft room with a wide opening to the next room and a 25’ ceiling. I don’t think it was a great use-case for heating in general. For cooling, this thing is irreplaceable. It barely breaks a sweat and uses almost no energy, while keeping the room at any low temperature I set it to. I’ve yet to see it have any issues cooling, even when it’s 90F and humid outside.
Good info… thanks. It doesn’t look like 38MARB is is a “high heat” model. R stands for Regular Heat. You could look at 38MGHBQ. The H is for High Heat.
That aside, there seems to be a lot of overhyping the performance of heat pumps lately. I have been interested in one, but am hesitant. Around me there are rebates to replace your furnace with a heat pump, but I don’t like the idea that they become less capable of heating the colder it gets. At least a furnace generates the same amount of heat when it is cold.
Heat pumps lose efficiency far above arctic temperatures. Below 40F, the efficiency drops quickly. Also, a heat pump water heater doesn’t do all the heating itself. It still uses an electric coil to get to the desired temps.
I personally would like to switch to on demand due to the space savings. Having a tank take up space in my garage is annoying.
Yes we actually can’t even run our heat pump mini-split below 40, it runs too many defrost cycles and can’t heat the room. We installed a wood pellet stove to use for those temps.
Wow, what model do you have?
It’s a Carrier 40MAHB
Ah… what about the outdoor unit? Do you have a high heat model?
It’s a Carrier 38MARB Performance Heat Pump, and it SAYS it’s rated at 100% efficiency down to 5 deg F but I can tell you from experience that it starts buckling below freezing. I have monitored it over a whole winter season and when we hit the 20s it starts running defrost cycles every 15-20 minutes. Each cycle takes about 5-10 minutes to defrost. It’s not able to keep the room warm.
Granted, this is a 500 sq ft room with a wide opening to the next room and a 25’ ceiling. I don’t think it was a great use-case for heating in general. For cooling, this thing is irreplaceable. It barely breaks a sweat and uses almost no energy, while keeping the room at any low temperature I set it to. I’ve yet to see it have any issues cooling, even when it’s 90F and humid outside.
Good info… thanks. It doesn’t look like 38MARB is is a “high heat” model. R stands for Regular Heat. You could look at 38MGHBQ. The H is for High Heat.
That aside, there seems to be a lot of overhyping the performance of heat pumps lately. I have been interested in one, but am hesitant. Around me there are rebates to replace your furnace with a heat pump, but I don’t like the idea that they become less capable of heating the colder it gets. At least a furnace generates the same amount of heat when it is cold.
That is very good to know about the high heat model. Thank you.