LP Furnice vs Heat Pump

[bwb]

I have just broken ground on a new log home and need to make a decision on a furnace vs heat pump for my hvac system. I will have lp for stove/oven and water heater but am unsure on how I want to heat my home.. I like the idea of the heat pump supplying both heat and air (and saving space by being outside) but have heard concerns that in the colder days of winter that the heat pump may not keep the house comfortable. Living in the mid south is doesn't get terribly cold for real long periods but 10 degree during winter nights is not real uncommon. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[rabadger]

You are already piping the home for LP, so look at the difference in price between LP and electric. I some areas electric is more expensive. when running a heat pump for heating, as the outdoor temp drops so the the eff. of the heat pump. As the COP drops and the balance points are reached the electric heaters come on.

I live in northern Indiana. Electric is is high. we also have a problem with heat pumps at about 30 degrees and high humidity. They have a tendency to go into defrost a lot, and break down in the dead of winter.

This is what we do. There is a little thing called a fossil fuel kit. We sub the heat pump air handler for a gas furnace. The fossil fuel kit has a relay and thermostat. The thermostat is mounted in the outdoor unit. At about 35 degrees the outdoor stat shuts down the heat pump and the furnace fires. All the manufactures of heat pumps and furnaces have optional fossil fuel kits.

[roger g]

Just a suggestion; whenever we did propane piping in the country we always sized the piping for natural gas so if natural gas ever came to the area the piping was already sized correctly. We did run into problems where the bsement was finished and to up-size the piping to natural gas was pretty near impossible.


roger

[rabadger]

Good idea roger g