I have one in my lower level of my elevated home here in FL. It runs 9 months a year. They don't last forever, and they must be maintained like any other AC unit, but they work well, even in our jungle heat here with 90 percent humidity.
Anyone have or familiar with mini split HVAC systems?
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Like Markos said...I like accountablity, and warranty on something so simple yet so micro-complex. My HVAC guy said buy from a known company, with a licensed HVAC guy for that mfgr., so that all you mess with is the remote control. I bought a Pioneer, and am happy for the most part. In between winter and summer, I had an issue with running "dry only, 80 degrees"" mode, where it has to do something, so it it wanted to freeze up (I assume that was the ting, ting, ting noise was...), so I just shut it off for a month or so until it was needed for air.
As to Asia, I spent several years in Thailand, and learned to appreciate the cooling efficiency of these, and the longevity or the units in damp, hot, wet, did I mention hot climate...as to the $ efficiency, I'm pretty much happy with it. I replaced a large propane heater, from a safety logic.
About 1000 sq ft with big ceiling...I wanna say I bought a 2 ton unit?....what ever the HVAC guy recommended.
I did have a computer board die very early on, and they Fedexed a new one and paid his labor...made a fan outa me.
So here in NE, they are pushing these under the auspices of going green. I know the efficiency has improved dramatically but I cannot see a heat pump used to extract heat from ambient 10 degree F air, to be efficient. There is no mention of electric bills in the push for these, just going green (even though 60% of electricity consumed is still fossil fuel based).
My wife is insisting on installing these in a second home we purchased in NE, anybody out there in the northeast that has one and can comment on their electric bill?
My wife is insisting on installing these in a second home we purchased in NE, anybody out there in the northeast that has one and can comment on their electric bill?
The "go green" argument doesn't work in the US. The only thing that works is the impact on our personal energy bills.
Washington State has one of the highest percentages of renewable energy (82%) and one of the lowest costs of electricity ($.10/kWh). Massachusetts has one of the lowest percentages of renewable energy (18%) and one of the highest costs of electricity ($.32/kWh).
Cost of Electricity by State 2023 vs 2022
In this article, we break down the most current electricity rate by US state. View commercial and residential energy prices side by side.
quickelectricity.com
The relationship between the cost of electricity and the amount of "fuel" that is either free OR that needs to be mined, refined, transported and purchased every day is fairly direct.
If I lived in Massachusetts and knew my electric bill could be reduced by 2/3, I'd be pushing for a change in how my electricity was produced. Telling me to "be green" and use even more of that expensive electricity would be ignored.
Thanks Dick. I find it interesting that the discussion of cost of electricity is conspicuously absent when pushing mini-splits here. The argument about being green is also misleading. Shall I NOT get into our illustrious senator Warren, champion of consumer protection and the little guy.
Our government is saying something else:
Air-source heat pumps are a more efficient and cost-effective way to heat your home using electricity at a fraction of the cost of oil or propane
Note they don’t mention natural gas because it is currently 2-4x cheaper than propane or oil. The devil is in the details, and our govt doesn't provide info on the underlying assumptions behind this broad statement. For example, do they assume room by room zoning or will we retain our constitutional right to a uniform and comfortable temp in unoccupied parts of our homes to preserve our individual liberty of walking into any room without waiting for the house to track our smartphone and bring the new location to our target temp?
With minislplits, a smarter home could do a far better job of automated+agile zoned operation than is possible w traditional central heat/cooling systems. When the house senses you’ve been in the master bath for 16 minutes, it knows to warm up the kitchen because your headed down in 5 minutes to say good morning to your Gaggia Accademia.
If I were doing a new scratch built home I would install a bunch of mini splits w small backup NG furnaces and maybe a geothermal water loop for the driveway.
Air-source heat pumps are a more efficient and cost-effective way to heat your home using electricity at a fraction of the cost of oil or propane
Note they don’t mention natural gas because it is currently 2-4x cheaper than propane or oil. The devil is in the details, and our govt doesn't provide info on the underlying assumptions behind this broad statement. For example, do they assume room by room zoning or will we retain our constitutional right to a uniform and comfortable temp in unoccupied parts of our homes to preserve our individual liberty of walking into any room without waiting for the house to track our smartphone and bring the new location to our target temp?
With minislplits, a smarter home could do a far better job of automated+agile zoned operation than is possible w traditional central heat/cooling systems. When the house senses you’ve been in the master bath for 16 minutes, it knows to warm up the kitchen because your headed down in 5 minutes to say good morning to your Gaggia Accademia.
If I were doing a new scratch built home I would install a bunch of mini splits w small backup NG furnaces and maybe a geothermal water loop for the driveway.
If I lived in cold weather I would love to keep it warm with an Aga stove:
en.wikipedia.org
Maybe I will get one just for the looks and use it for storage.
As for air conditioning, none in my place nor most of my cars. On Saturday I opened the E9 sunroof and even DQs triangular side window as it was getting warm.
I will sweat for the environment which is more than many activists do
.
AGA cooker - Wikipedia
Maybe I will get one just for the looks and use it for storage.
As for air conditioning, none in my place nor most of my cars. On Saturday I opened the E9 sunroof and even DQs triangular side window as it was getting warm.
I will sweat for the environment which is more than many activists do
.