heat pump quotes and recommendation/insights
Hi -- I'm hoping to get insights and recommendations from the smart group of people here. I'm also hoping that sharing this information with quote amounts helps others and maybe also encourages others to move towards heat pumps. Context -- My 22 yr old water heater should be replaced soon so I looked at replacing my furnace as well. My home - 1400 sq ft on top flor with a 300 sq foot room on the bottom floor that is next to the garage and is built into the hill. I wanted to zone the top floor separately from the bottom floor and got 3 quotes below and have included my electric and gas usage over the last year.
Questions I have: Do these look inline with current costs? Though the warranties are for 12 years, how long should they last? I'm hoping that this will help keep my pge bills low -- any insights? Is the technology where it needs to be or are advancements anticipated in the next few years? What do people do when the electricity goes out? Are there questions I should ask the vendors? For rebates, etc. I've checked Bayren -- does anyone have thoughts about what new rebates we might get in 2023 and how to stay on top of newly available options? I'm looking to move forward with the 3rd option but feel I need to do my homework if I'm going to spend that amt of money and hope that this amt of detail with quotes can help others.
I greatly appreciate all help and recommendations!
quote 1: $20k after incentives/rebates. dual fuel furnace and water heater -- not sure if this is truly better for the environment
quote 2: $30k for a single zone system. Equipment includes AMUG36LMAS Indoor. AOUG36LMAS1 Outdoor Fujitsu 36,000 BTU Ducted Minisplit 208-230V Inverter Heat Pump System Single Zone. R-410A. Warranty: 12 years Parts, 5 years Labor SEER: 18 EER: 11.3 HSPF: 10.2 -- AND -- 50 Gallon Electric Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater (DHW) 30AMP Ruud Professional Ultra PROUH50 3.55 Efficiency Warranty: 10 Years Tank, 10 Years Parts & 5 Year Labor
quote 3: $31k for top floor heat pump with a mini split for bottom floor supported by the heat pump. Equipment included. Inverter Comfort System - 24 kBTU- Complete design and installation of a multi zone inverter heat pump. Mitsubishi* MXZ-3C24NA3 outdoor unit and SVZ-KP18NA air handler (located in place of existing furnace) and MSZ-GL09NA wall-mount for the downstairs bedroom. This unit will utilize existing ductwork --- AND -- 65 Gallon Heat Pump Water Heater (Bradford White) - Installation of a Bradford White self-contained heat pump water heater with a 65-gallon tank. Includes all necessary piping requirements including shut off and isolation valves, thermostat controller, and earthquake straps.
My pge usage from the past year:
Electric: ~350 - 450 kwh/month with 2 winter months at 625 kwh
Gas -- 8months below 15 therms. 3m @ 30 therms and 1m@ 50 therms
Parent Replies
We recently installed a single zone 48,000 BTU Fujitsu heat pump and it was close to $14k. The contractor was able to use the existing duct system. I'm sure the contractor itemized the quote, so maybe you can compare the heat pump cost?
I love this question!! If you want someone else to run through this with you, you can contact QuitCarbon.com. I found that they were not extremely helpful about subsidies, but they'll develop a sequenced plan for you and give perspective on the pricing you've received.
My fave source of information about the new climate bill's subsidies for heat pumps is the Rewiring America calculator: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator. For your situation, if you are moderate/low income you can get upfront discounts of $8k for the heat pump. Couple notes about the upfront discounts: first, the income threshold might be higher than you think -- moderate income in the Bay for a family of 3 goes up to almost $200k. Second, the upfront discounts won't be available til next spring or summer, because they rely on state programs to distribute federal money to contractors and retailers, so it takes a while to set up. You may also be eligible for tax credits of 30%, up to $2k each for the furnace and water heater. Those will be available starting 1/1/2023 and I believe you can just claim them. They are *not* refundable, so if you use up your tax liability you don't get anything back, but I believe they can be carried forward to use in future years where you have tax liability.
They can also stack with the upfront discounts. Example: you are in the moderate income category and spend $25k on the furnace + $6k on the water heater. You can get 50% off up to the limits as an upfront rebate ($8k for the furnace + $2k for the water heater), plus 30% as a tax credit up to the limits ($7.5k but limited to $2k for the furnace + $1.8k limited to $2k for the water heater). Total savings: $13.8k.
The long term answer for when the electricity goes out is to have a battery backup + solar panels. If you get the sizing right, you can make it through an indefinite outage with no problems.
If that's not currently in your budget, welll.... in the Bay Area missing heat/hot water is usually not dangerous. When we go electric, I plan to keep a gas camp stove around to use for bucket baths, cooking, and other emergencies if the power goes out. (But we are in the flats near a hospital and rarely see outages.)
In terms of costs, I recently got a quote for $16k for the furnace only component, but our home is smaller than yours.
Please feel free to message me if you have questions! I am trying to organize a workshop for my neighborhood association, and if it goes well would love to export to other neighborhoods.