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Dangerous_Mention_15 t1_j74q25i wrote

How about power consumption? Heat pumps typically have a significant drop in efficiency the greater the temperature difference and eventually converges on resistance heating.

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happyhourscience OP t1_j74s1f9 wrote

Yes, I would like to have had the power consumption data for this post, but the BED consumption tracker does not always update in real time. I may have to wait until tomorrow for the data.

According to the usage tracker, last year on a similar day (Jan 21, High of 6, low of -14), I used about 90 kwh, but I charged my car and used a space heater. Assuming $0.16 per kwh that works out to about $15 for that day.

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Curious_Buffalo_1206 t1_j75i1bj wrote

You should really get a pellet stove for supplemental heat… 90 kWh for a single day is horrific.

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Abitconfusde t1_j75j2xi wrote

Charged a car and used a space heater. That could be 30-40kwh right there.

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wrenchindaddy802 t1_j76d68n wrote

We used to have a shitty little 1br apartment in Burlington, and our heat was about on par with that per month. Of course the upstairs neighbors were only paying 100/mo because they got all of our heat 😭 couldn't get out of that place quick enough between the heat fuckery and lack of driveway maintenance. I used to have to pull everyone out of the driveway in my outback, otherwise everyone would get stuck and gridlock the parking lot.

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Gilashot t1_j74sw0s wrote

Yes, but totally depends on the unit. My Gree Sapphire is still super efficient at -17f. My Mr. Cool is no good at all below -12

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Careful_Square1742 t1_j74umkz wrote

my 36kbtu heat pump system, on a day like this, costs about $10 to run. I'll check my GMP account when it updates tomorrow

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Careful_Square1742 t1_j767ot3 wrote

just checked GMP. I used 69 kWh yesterday. at $0.18, that's about $13 for heat, lights, fridge, stove, etc

69kwh is roughly 235,000 BTU

a gallon of propane contains about 93,000 BTU

assuming 96% efficient burn in a boiler/furnace, that's about 2.8 gallons of propane

at $3/gallon that's about $8.50.

so yesterday my heat pump was roughly on par with propane heat when you factor in the non heat electric use. today is supposed to be 10 degrees warmer, so I'm confident my heat pump will "win"

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_j76gaod wrote

Before I got my heat pump I looked at historic electric outages and temperatures over the past 10 years. It was a clear winner in terms of efficiency and reliability of infrastructure.

I grew up with wood.I have a pellet stove currently but heat pump tech has come a long way and they truely are hard to beat at this point

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Careful_Square1742 t1_j76i0y8 wrote

if you live in an area with frequent power outages, a wood stove for backup heat is a great idea.

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_j76jmi2 wrote

Very true. Which is why it is important to check that before investing in a heat source.

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abitdaft1776 t1_j76u12j wrote

I can’t imagine living up here without a generator. Power where I am doesn’t go out much, but if it went out this weekend because of wind…

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Careful_Square1742 t1_j76y3sq wrote

def a risk management calculation to be made here. Where I live, the power is super stable - maybe goes out 2-3 times a year for an hour, max. low likelihood of it going out, but whoa man it'd be bad if it did today!

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abitdaft1776 t1_j76tw51 wrote

Last winter I averaged 1000 a month in propane. Plus about 200 in electric. This month my electric bill is about 400. Even if you add in 100 for pellets when I use my stove I’m way ahead this year due to my mini splits

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kellogsmalone t1_j7fd43g wrote

$1000 in propane??? What factors led to this?

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abitdaft1776 t1_j7fl96z wrote

A very large, very poorly insulated house with an inefficient burner over 30 years old

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kellogsmalone t1_j7fniwn wrote

Sorry to prod just, my wife and are house shopping and trying to gage expectations for bills, renovations and upgrades and what to incorporate into our budget.

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