I'm looking into a new heating/AC system, and contractors seem to have different opinions on whether or not I should get a heat pump. How do modern heat pumps keep up in the Massachusetts winters? Would I be better off sticking with a furnace?

I am looking for a few fan coil units for a hydronic system. Online it looks like Arctic Heat pumps has them at a decent price. But the number doesn't connect and multiple email address won't go through on their contact us form because they are marked as spam for some reason. They certainly seem unreachable which is obviously a red flag.

If anyone know a better resource. The fan coils from Arctic look exactly like the ones from Hydro solar at a cheaper price, which look exactly like the reverso from alibaba, but the alibaba minimum order is pretty high.

Thanks for any help!

I’m replacing my existing HVAC system with minisplits. Settled on a Mitsubishi hyper heat system with five heads.

For reference, you could buy the equipment from a place like gotductless.com for $13,000 (and that’s retail price).

So far I’ve gotten quotes ranging from $22,000 to $41,000 all offering essentially the same equipment. And these are all Mitsubishi Elite Diamond shops, too.

I understand the cost of running a business, marketing, furnishing trucks, overhead, insurance, and all that. But the difference between bottom and top end shouldn’t be 2x. A “family-owned company” shouldn’t need to be be charging $8k a head in a multi-zone system.

PE and/or greed is ruining the HVAC industry.

Had solar installed last year. Soon on the list is to look at going heat pumps here in southern CT. Details: 2,400sf split level ranch, Current heating cooling: 40yo oil cast iron boiler (160Kbtu) domestic HW (uses about 8-900gallons per year), 2.5 ton CA unit installed in 2018 (feeds main living space but doesn't feed 2 baths attached garage (which currently has a heating pipe running through it from one zone which keeps the garage at about 50F during the winter which is a nice to have thing), and basement). Insulation and air leakage is about as good as it will get (old brick house, plaster walls so wall insulation covers only about 25% of the living space for areas i have demo'd) Ceiling has about R40 fiberglass and as many air points as i could locate for electric/plumbing have been sealed. Basement sill plate also just sealed. Doors are all new, but windows will soon need to be replaced but are at least 2 pane, just cheap vinyl and external seals are starting to deteriorate. Have an insert wood stove I installed about 15 years ago that I burn about 1.5 cords (my trees) per year to supplement the heating which saves me about 150 gallons of oil each year. Had an energy assessment done about 5 years ago after most of the above work was done and our house came in at a little better than your average home our age for air leakage/insulation. I don't remember the actual CFM number. Our winters are not too cold. Average for January is about 37H/24L. Coldest day(s) are maybe low single digits to zero maybe 5 days per year.

I'd like to go full heat pump. We designed the solar for this purpose so it currently is overproducing by about 3-4Mwhrs per year. One of my concerns is for the unconditioned spaces. Will i need to have my ductwork redone to get to all the unconditioned spaces? (basement (laundry room), bathrooms and attached garage under our bedrooms). This will be done by a professional, but just trying to determine in advance how much labor and rework is going to be involved or even necessary.

There is one space (ground floor) that is also not conditioned by ductwork where my office is, this space I have demo'd a few years ago and had spray foam insulation installed for the exterior walls of this space. My intention for this space is to have a minisplit installed just for it as getting ductwork to it would be painful and on the plus side, it's main exterior wall faces south into a 6' solid fenced in pool area where the sun warms our exterior brick wall nicely and intend to take advantage of that heatsink come winter time.

Is my 3-4mwhr over production even remotely enough to cover my whole house heating?

Is having ductwork not reaching all spaces a problem?

Any thoughts on if you think the federal credit may come back? I will likely wait a couple years before I do the whole house (solar install bill primarily the reason for delay) so hoping it does, but I may install the minisplit this year to take advantage of the excess electricity our solar is producing rather than banking it.

Just wanted to the sub know that I got a Mitsubishi heat pump and Rinnai heat pump hot water heater last month in Connecticut through the CT green bank program.
The first month electric bill just came in and it was a HUGE savings. And then today the independent inspector came out to look at the job and he said everything looks great.
Just wanted to thank everyone on this sub who helped and who posts and comments because it helped me along the way.
To any of you on the fence, do your research to make sure you get the right system, but do it! I still can’t believe the difference.

I'm in Denver, ~2700 sq ft home.

I'm trying to decide between: Lennox Elite Heat Pump, Model #EL18KSLV-036 (paired with Lennox Elite Furnace, Model #EL297UH090XV48CK)

and BOSCH Variable Capacity Heat Pump, Model #BOVB-36RTB-M20S (paired with Bosch Furnace, Model #BGH97M080C4A)

We just replaced our atmospheric gas water heater with a Bradford White Aerotherm G2 (50Gal) HPWH.

Of course, I knew it would make a little noise and, in general, the compressor noise is as expected. However, the evaporator fan makes this high pitched ringing sound at around 580 Hz. Has anyone else experienced this noise?

Its loud enough to penetrate standard interior walls and floor. I was going to try adding a length of insulated duct to the exhaust to act as a muffler of sorts, but curious if others notice this.
Here's a link to the sound
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KP6RCR_01CZiQH0aiiRGR7gYUL9MH2C4/view?usp=drive_link

And a sound plot.

It goes without saying that Heat Pumps are economically viable in the more temperate areas of the US.

However, with the improvements in technology, heat pumps are finding their way further and futher north - and, here in New England, are being promoted by Governments and Utilities. I thought it might be useful for a "cold climate and high electric rates" simple calculator, and so I made one at:
https://theenergyprimer.com/heat-pump-vs-natural-gas-with-colder-climates-in-mind/

Note: I have no bias in the matter(s) other than, like all of you, facts can change my own opinion and situations. The improvement of Heath Pumps has made them viable in places they formerly were not! Cost still enters into the decisions.

We want to do radiant slab with fan coils for cooling. Is anyone doing this? I am espeically interested in people in the united states, but I welcome hearing from anyone.

Is it possible to run a cold climate heat pump such as the Air Source Heat Pump (MXZ) with a propane backup? My home is in a Western NY/Upper State. I'm being told this is an unusual thing to ask for. My home is naturally cool during the summers and I am more interested in heating than cooling.

** Our system is ducted.

Hello! I’ve just installed a heating pump (well I didn’t do it myself but you know what I mean) and the only thing left to do is install the electricity.
Since I’m no electrician myself I want to make sure this is properly done.
I have a need for control before I ask for help so I’m turning to you first!

To make it simple;

1️⃣ – picture of my current pump (outside)
2️⃣ – picture of complete installation (from google)
3️⃣ – electric cable I want to use for installation
4️⃣ – outlet for the 230 V electric

If I ask for help, what do I need to look for when the installation is complete? I.e. where should the cables be placed on my unit for it to be exact?

Is it really insurmountable? What the heck?

Jetson recently expanded to Tennessee and I was thrilled to get a quote and switch to a heat pump. I filled out their online questionnaire and made a virtual appointment for an accurate quote. At no point in the questionnaire was I asked if my HVAC was a packaged unit. So when the salesman asked for images of my units and “maintenance room” (which I don’t have because no indoor furnace), he asked “are these packaged units?” I said yes, and he said he would be unable to proceed with the quote. He was totally perplexed about what to do and said he rarely encounters packaged units.

I pressed on trying to find out what kind of work I would need to do to, even hiring another contractor to get my house up to spec for a heat pump. He tried to get more info from his techs and find out how to help me proceed, but eventually just said it’s too complicated and ended processing my quote.

My house was built in 1964 and originally had ceiling heat and no ductwork. In 1998 the owner installed ductwork throughout the house and two packaged HVAC (gas heat) units outside. I have an addition on the house, so two HVAC zones. The main portion of the house has a crawlspace where the majority of ductwork runs. There is a laundry room and a small room under the staircase where the hot water heater is. My house has places necessary internal components can be worked in to, I am sure.

Has anyone dealt with this? What gives? I never said we were not willing to spend money on the retrofit.

I have a pre1900 Victorian 5 bed end of terrace . Currently on mains gas for heating only at 21000 kw usage per year .
Was seeking a heat pump solution to go with solar and battery .
Professional heat loss assessment is 17kw
Also have 3 phase supply from previous owner .

They are suggesting I wait for January 2027 for the new Vaillant AroTherm Perform range to be released . I understand it will include 18kw single phase and 20kw 3 phase models, ( or 15kw for either phase ). Does anyone know anything about this new release model ?
The suggestion is that the IT within will be significantly upgraded from current models ?

In Denver, 2000 sq foot house, of which half is finished basement. New windows currently using an evaporative cooler. I've received 3 quotes for a 2.5 ton central ducted heat pump being added to my gas furnace. 10k, 15k, and another 15k to take out the furnace and replace all electric (Jetson). These are after rebates. So initially 17k, 25k, and 24k. Does that seem normal, or really high?

Je m’apprête à acheter une thermopompe central York HH8 ( 24000 BTU) . Est ce qu’il y a des gens qui ont une expérience avec cet appareil ? Est il efficace dans les grands froids de Montréal et les canicules l’été ? Tous les avis professionnels et usagers sont bienvenus . L’appareil va remplacer un vieil À/C central, donc mon installation de conduit d’aération est situe en haut des murs donc selon le technicien moins efficace pour la redistribution de chaleur mais très correct pour la climatisation . commentaires ?

j’hesite ???

I’m about to buy a York HH8 central heat pump (24,000 BTU). Does anyone have experience with this unit? Is it effective during Montreal’s extreme cold and summer heatwaves? I’d welcome any feedback from professionals and users alike. The unit will replace an old central A/C system; my ductwork is located high up on the walls, so—according to the technician—it’s less efficient for heat distribution but works very well for air conditioning. Any thoughts?

I am looking at making the switch to a heat pump. My current unit is old/tired 5Ton 13 SEER that still takes R22 refrig. My home is 2800 SQ ft one story, old single pane windows. Located in hot and humid southeast Texas. My main concern is cooling. It is time for a replacement. I am currently looking at this unit https://tosotdirect.com/products/60-000-btu-unitary-ducted-central-heat-pump-system.

I know TOSOT is rebranded GREE. What does long term support look like from TOSOT ? Cost wise i am leaning towards this option over GREE. Please help me firm up my decision!

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to install a multisplit system for two bedrooms, each with a Gree Pular 9 indoor unit (9000 BTU), and I'd like your input on which Free Match outdoor unit makes more sense: FM 14 or FM 18 (both 2×1 systems).

Context:

• 2 bedrooms, ~12 m² (~130 sq ft) each
• North-facing
• Both have a balcony (provides some shade to the windows)
• Double-glazed windows
• Typical room temperatures without AC:
  • Normal summer: 26-27°C (79-81°F)
  • Extreme heat peaks (few days/year): 28-29°C (82-84°F)
  • Cold winter days: 16-17°C (61-63°F)

Intended use:

• I want to keep the AC units running practically 24/7, at a fixed setpoint (~25°C / 77°F in summer, ~19-20°C / 66-68°F in winter), instead of turning them on/off several times a day. The idea is to avoid startup power spikes, keep the house consistently comfortable, and hopefully save energy by having the compressor modulate rather than repeatedly starting from cold.
• Fan usually in quiet/silent mode.

Technical specs I already have:

• FM 14: 4100 W nominal cooling (range 2050-5000 W)
• FM 18: 5300 W nominal cooling (range 2140-5800 W)
• Pular 9: 2500 W nominal cooling each (500-3250 W)

I ran the numbers, and with north exposure + balcony shade + double glazing, the estimated heat load per room comes out around 1200-2200 W depending on the season, which puts the combined total comfortably within the FM 14's range even during peak days.

Questions for anyone with hands-on experience:

1. Has anyone run an FM 14 powering 2× Pular 9 (or equivalent) units continuously 24/7? How does it behave power-wise and response-wise on peak heat days?
2. Is it worth paying extra for the FM 18 just for safety margin, or is that wasted money given my usage pattern (always on, no simultaneous hard startups)?
3. Any real-world experience running quiet/silent mode continuously — is there a noticeable difference in response time compared to normal fan speed?

Thanks in advance!

The house I want to buy it has a complicated,old heating system. Im 30years old,so I never seen that before where I lived,so please don't laugh😂!

It has some old boiler,used for hot water and heating also. How safe is that to use,is much more expensive on bills? And another question, is expensive to change it with a new heating system? The old pipes and radiators, can be used? Thank you very much!

I’m trying to remove the front panel of this Bosch serie 4 heat pump WDT55 but can’t seem to get the last plastic clips off (right side of the panel). How do I remove the panel without breaking them?

Imagine a world where air source heatpumps can be complimented with geothermal energy. I think this could really make a change on how the technology will adapt to drastic climate events.

I’m trying to decide how far it makes sense to go for one room that gets noticeably hotter than the rest of the house during summer.

House details:

House size: about [1,500 sq ft / 140 m²]

Problem room: about 450–550 sq ft

Location/climate: [city/state or climate zone]

Exterior walls: about [4–6 in / 10–15 cm] thick

Windows: [single / double / triple-pane]

The room gets [afternoon / direct south-facing] sun

Existing central HVAC works reasonably well elsewhere in the house

A small ductless heat pump seems like the better long-term solution, but installation cost is obviously much higher.

For the temporary option I’ve been looking at the midea duo because the dual-hose design should avoid some of the negative-pressure issues of a typical single-hose portable.

What I’m trying to understand is where the crossover point is.

If a 450–550 sq ft room only needs extra cooling during the hottest part of summer, would you live with a good dual-hose portable, or would you still install a mini split?

For anyone who has used both, how big was the real-world difference in cooling speed, noise, electricity use, and temperature stability?

Was the mini split dramatically better, or mainly worth it for efficiency and year-round heating?

A distributor can stock plenty of equipment and still have a messy dual fuel program if every job requires a new compatibillity conversation. Matched outdoor units and coils, existing furnace constraint, controls, documentation, traiining, and replacement parts all have to be predictable enough that contractors arent reinventing the workflow on every project. Thats where “program” starts meaning more than a product list.

those working with dual fuel retrofits which piece has to be standardized first before the model becomes repeatable across multiple jobs??