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Does anyone in here (Providence, or RI) have one and use it as a primary heating source? I'm curious about both the cost and the performance on colder days.
Does anyone in here (Providence, or RI) have one and use it as a primary heating source? I'm curious about both the cost and the performance on colder days.
As a sole winter source of heat, be careful. My experience was with an oceanfront summer house. We decided to open on a January weekend. The unit just wasn't able to keep up on a cold (18 degrees) windy night. Despite what the installer & manufacturer warranted, the unit couldn't bring the room temp. above 58 degrees without an assist from the wood burning fireplace.
As a sole winter source of heat, be careful. My experience was with an oceanfront summer house. We decided to open on a January weekend. The unit just wasn't able to keep up on a cold (18 degrees) windy night. Despite what the installer & manufacturer warranted, the unit couldn't bring the room temp. above 58 degrees without an assist from the wood burning fireplace.
Yeah, that's my concern. I'd love to rely solely on the mini splits, but the extreme cold concerns me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by independent man
As a sole winter source of heat, be careful. My experience was with an oceanfront summer house. We decided to open on a January weekend. The unit just wasn't able to keep up on a cold (18 degrees) windy night. Despite what the installer & manufacturer warranted, the unit couldn't bring the room temp. above 58 degrees without an assist from the wood burning fireplace.
I will second this, kind of. While I don’t have first hand experience with a mini split in my own house, I do know someone here in Providence who is newly reliant on a mini split for his heating. Last winter was the system’s first season. We had an incredibly mild winter last year with the exception of 2-3 days in the single digits. He told me the system worked fine except during the cold snap, when the system could just barely keep it in the 50s.
I am familiar with mini splits out west, where they are perhaps better suited. But to me, they can feel like they are blowing cold air in the winter.
I will second this, kind of. While I don’t have first hand experience with a mini split in my own house, I do know someone here in Providence who is newly reliant on a mini split for his heating. Last winter was the system’s first season. We had an incredibly mild winter last year with the exception of 2-3 days in the single digits. He told me the system worked fine except during the cold snap, when the system could just barely keep it in the 50s.
I am familiar with mini splits out west, where they are perhaps better suited. But to me, they can feel like they are blowing cold air in the winter.
Thanks! We have friends who have them in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts and absolutely swear by them for the vast majority of their heating/cooling needs. But they all have some other heating source they can rely on in a pinch (pellet stoves are the popular choice). I don't know anyone who is quite ready to go mini-split only for the reasons you and IM outlined.
My in-laws have them (Chepachet, RI) but like others have mentioned they have oil heat for backup when the weather really starts to get cold as the mini splits can’t keep it warm enough.
Here in PA in my old farmhouse I have a system made by "M" (non hyper-heat) and I've not used my primary heating system since install, about 7 years...and it keeps the rooms at 72 no matter the outside temps..I view them as PFM..
My in-laws have them (Chepachet, RI) but like others have mentioned they have oil heat for backup when the weather really starts to get cold as the mini splits can’t keep it warm enough.
Do they need the backup often? Between this forum and conversations with others, it sounds like there are only a handful of nights per year where they need the added support. Sitting in my warm home, that doesn't seem like enough to justify the secondary heat source. But I imagine that if it's 18 degrees out and my mini split is struggling to keep it above 50 degrees, I'll feel differently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD
I personally don't understand why ground loop heat pumps aren't getting more traction. They're far more efficient than air heat pumps.
I would imagine the installation is more expensive and you obviously need more yard space (probably would be tough to do in the city). But the consistently moderate ground temperatures have to make them much more efficient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve-C
Here in PA in my old farmhouse I have a system made by "M" (non hyper-heat) and I've not used my primary heating system since install, about 7 years...and it keeps the rooms at 72 no matter the outside temps..I view them as PFM..
That's great! Did you do anything to improve the insulation, replace windows, etc? Or do you get strong sunlight even in the winter?
I would imagine the installation is more expensive and you obviously need more yard space (probably would be tough to do in the city). But the consistently moderate ground temperatures have to make them much more efficient.
You can drill a vertical geothermal loop pretty much anywhere. No different than drilling an artesian well. Dandelion Energy does them in far Western Mass, Connecticut, and the Hudson Valley. Between MassSave and Federal tax credits, close to half of it is subsidized. Electricity is so absurdly expensive here that it's probably a fairly fast payback. You can also run it with a lot less solar since it's so much more efficient.
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