Yes, we use air source heat pumps for our house and are happy with them. They were designed and installed by Canadian Aerothermal in Penticton in 2011.
Moving away from fossil fuels was our primary motivation but we are enjoying the cheaper heating bills and the ability to cool the house days on sweltering summer days.
Submitted by DorothyWD on Mon, 17/10/2022 - 7:23am.
We're considering this also. I'm also curious to know if anyone has made a switch from hydronic/radiant (baseboards heated water which is very comfortable/quiet/economical) to a ductless heat pump system?
Submitted by Ericka S-R on Mon, 17/10/2022 - 7:55am.
We had Valhalla come and do a full assessment. They're great, and one of the only companies locally that has the ability to assess the size of heat pump you need. They can also help you with applying to to government grants.
Submitted by Matt on Tue, 18/10/2022 - 5:34am.
The Sustainability Commision did a talk on heat pumps as part of home energy retrofits last winter. You can see it here. https://youtu.be/4lvabKrfqBw.
Submitted by DorothyWD on Tue, 18/10/2022 - 3:53pm.
That was a great talk. They made it clear that heat pumps work best in energy efficient, more airtight homes, and that the thermostat should be kept at a reasonably constant temperature.
But in real life past experience in older, but reasonably efficient homes (eg attic insulation but no wall insulation, newer windows, well caulked and sealed), we have been able to lower energy use by keeping the thermostat programmed cool, and then space heating the main living area as needed, eg electric or gas fireplace. And passive solar! (and heat the kitchen cooking and baking). So I'm not totally sold on whether the initial investment of upwards of tens of thousands of dollars to fully switch is worth it. Especially you are being advised to keep the heat pump running at a constant temperature, as opposed to keeping the house very cool and then giving a room a little blast with a space heater when home.
I think it probably depends on a lot of other factors also, eg how much you are actually home and need the heat running consistently at a reasonable constant temperature.
I've had other experience before with a centrally ducted heat pump and a gas furnace. The heat pump didn't really make a difference to winter heat bills (wasn't rated for extreme cold), but it was great during summer heat and smoke waves! And didn't cost much to run in summer. Caveat: this was a cheaper model, just enough to get a grant and be cheaper than just adding an air conditioner onto the furnace air handler.
It's also not clear to me how worth a heat pump is when you have a combination of a mix of new renovation/addition (more energy efficient) and older home.
And how comfortable they are on a ground floor or basement level.
Sorry, more questions than answers! it's hard to find less biased sources (not selling heat pumps and rebate programs) for these kinds of questions. I get that the on-paper science based on controlled energy efficient airtight environments is clear. But not everyone can afford that level of extensive renovation, nor necessarily have a high energy footprint to begin with. So it's still grey to me...
Yes, we use air source heat pumps for our house and are happy with them. They were designed and installed by Canadian Aerothermal in Penticton in 2011.
Moving away from fossil fuels was our primary motivation but we are enjoying the cheaper heating bills and the ability to cool the house days on sweltering summer days.
We're considering this also. I'm also curious to know if anyone has made a switch from hydronic/radiant (baseboards heated water which is very comfortable/quiet/economical) to a ductless heat pump system?
We had Valhalla come and do a full assessment. They're great, and one of the only companies locally that has the ability to assess the size of heat pump you need. They can also help you with applying to to government grants.
The Sustainability Commision did a talk on heat pumps as part of home energy retrofits last winter. You can see it here. https://youtu.be/4lvabKrfqBw.
That was a great talk. They made it clear that heat pumps work best in energy efficient, more airtight homes, and that the thermostat should be kept at a reasonably constant temperature.
But in real life past experience in older, but reasonably efficient homes (eg attic insulation but no wall insulation, newer windows, well caulked and sealed), we have been able to lower energy use by keeping the thermostat programmed cool, and then space heating the main living area as needed, eg electric or gas fireplace. And passive solar! (and heat the kitchen cooking and baking). So I'm not totally sold on whether the initial investment of upwards of tens of thousands of dollars to fully switch is worth it. Especially you are being advised to keep the heat pump running at a constant temperature, as opposed to keeping the house very cool and then giving a room a little blast with a space heater when home.
I think it probably depends on a lot of other factors also, eg how much you are actually home and need the heat running consistently at a reasonable constant temperature.
I've had other experience before with a centrally ducted heat pump and a gas furnace. The heat pump didn't really make a difference to winter heat bills (wasn't rated for extreme cold), but it was great during summer heat and smoke waves! And didn't cost much to run in summer. Caveat: this was a cheaper model, just enough to get a grant and be cheaper than just adding an air conditioner onto the furnace air handler.
It's also not clear to me how worth a heat pump is when you have a combination of a mix of new renovation/addition (more energy efficient) and older home.
And how comfortable they are on a ground floor or basement level.
Sorry, more questions than answers! it's hard to find less biased sources (not selling heat pumps and rebate programs) for these kinds of questions. I get that the on-paper science based on controlled energy efficient airtight environments is clear. But not everyone can afford that level of extensive renovation, nor necessarily have a high energy footprint to begin with. So it's still grey to me...