Submitted by imdoingmyroutine t3_11litim in vermont
If you don't mind me asking how many units did you get and what was the cost of installation? I am starting to get quotes and wanna make sure i am in the right ballpark. I tired to search for this but I couldn't find much
Installed Haier Mini-split system with one outdoor unit and 3 heads inside. Two are 9000btu; one is 12000btu. Total cost with electrician to run the circuit was about $13,000. This was last summer. 2600sf house. We haven't used the oil burner all year except when we had family over the holidays and used our downstairs bedrooms where we didn't bother with mini-splits. They keep us plenty warm, but on that -20 day they used quite a bit of electricity. I'm thinking it might make sense to run the oil burner whenever it falls below -5 or so...depending on oil prices. The oil in my tank was purchased around September at $3.29.
Many of our friends have had mini splits installed in the past few years. All of them are happy with their purchase. Some of the nuisances… installers are fleecing the fuck out of folks in the past couple years.
Had one friend get an install with a compressor and 3 head units 3 years ago, and pay 8k installed. Had another friend put a compressor and 4 head units in this year to the tune of 22k. The later had a monthly electric bill at $600 on a sub 2000 sq ft house.
I’m holding out for the time being as the demand is making the install price of these things insane. Installers are fleecing the shit out of the consumer due to tons of folks jumping on the bandwagon all at once.
I’ve spent about $2500 in fuel oil this year with steam heat. I’d love to switch that to a wood stove and mini-splits, but until the mini-split price goes down I’m sticking to the ole oil and a couple window AC units.
Well, i actually have found some previous discussions if I search heat pump instead of mini split but I am still interested in hearing others' recent experiences.
I'm interested, too...
I installed mine myself this fall. We got a 18k btu ceiling cassette with hyper heat. I think it was ~2k for the unit, +200 for the vacuum pump, connectors, and seal goop. Took a few days of crawling in and out of the attic but it wasn't too bad. It's been out only heat source and has been doing well! It used 500 KW in February set to 68. Twice that in January when I accidentally left it on 80 WHOOPS!
The wall unit should be easier to install. Just do me a favor.. the interior unit ships pressurized. You're supposed to release the gas slowly. Don't panic and undo it faster, your eardrums will thank you.
Last summer I had a system installed in my house, two outside units 24k each, and 5 inside wall units, four 8k and a 16k which does my house minus the basement. It is a Fujitsu system, I used it primarily for cooling and worked great and barely caused my power to go up in the summer. In the fall I used it a little for heat but once it got steadily below freezing I went to my NG baseboard heat witch is cheaper and more efficient. The install for the split took about a week and cost $12k, I was able to get the normal rebate, but none of the income dependent ones. Shop around and good luck.
That sounds like a really good price. Do you mind saying which installer you went with and where generally you are located?
I'm in Essex, I'll get his name later today. He is a one man operation so that's why he was shower, but he's very detail oriented and his prices were on par.
Yes, your searches will be much more effective searching for heat pump vs. Mini split.
Up for a week with my dad in neighboring NH. It has been in the teens at night and he hasn't turned on the oil yet. Keeps the house too warm for me - 78 lol. The heat pumps have had zero issue keeping up. You're gonna love 'em.
I paid $2500 a few years ago each for very simple 1 outdoor/1 indoor unit , wall mount outside and run straight up the wall to an outside wall. I ran the electric to the outside wall. This is for the Fujitsu RLS3H. all sizes (9/12/15) cost about the same. I expect prices a bit more these days just because of COVID, etc.
This single unit pretty much heats our entire home 1800 sqft well insulated and sealed. We have a tiny 11k btu Rinnai in the basement which I really like to have for backup.
Replaced oil furnace /baseboards with 2 carrier heat pumps and a Mitsubishi mini split for outbuilding cottage. The Carriers use the AC ducts which were easy but probably not optimal since they are set high in rooms where heat should be lower.
Total price for 3500 square feet was about $30k after incentives. The installers screwed some stuff up and had to return twice but when working they do just fine. We left the oil there for backup and we use it when temps go below zero. The remaining oil in our tank may last forever. The heat pumps work below zero but aren’t as efficient and basically go toward the price of resistance heating.
Overall happy and would do it again. I would have opted for removing the oil but was a little skeptical.
I had 2 Haier units put in in October (separate 2 ton compressor for each head unit). Cost me about $10k and took 2 days. Did not connect it to existing heating systems, didn’t run any ductwork as I have a fairly open floor plan.
No complaints with the units. My electric bill has gone up, of course. The electric increase plus my payment is about break even for the winter months compared to using fuel oil. I do turn my furnace on if the temp are staying in the teens, but I’ve only used half a tank this winter.
6 grand for a 3 ton Fujitsu Halcyon unit with 3 indoor heads. Did the electrical myself. Helped the guy with the rest of the stuff. 2 of the heads had lines running from previous AC so I didn’t need the piping.
Installed a single 36000 BTU single head in my 1200 square foot cellar last fall. Spent about $4000 and installed it myself. We leave the cellar door open and it has pretty much kept the whole house warm this winter. Used less than a half a tank of oil so far but electric bill went up a couple hundred a month.
Was told I had to upgrade my panel . 3k for just that. Took a pass
I’m fairly sure there are going to be federal incentives coming down the road (part of the infrastructure bill that was passed last year) but it will take a couple years for that to get filtered down through the states. I’m personally waiting it out to see what energy efficient incentives will be offered.
We had two ductless mini splits installed in December. A lot of rebates through efficiency Vermont right now. We installed at 9k and 12k btu and the cost total was under $8k. Also, depending on financial situation, you could receive additional rebates.
If you live in Burlington, Burlington Electric Department Energy Services team is happy to help you with any questions or unbiased/low-pressure guidance you need. We also have many great rebates available for heat pump purchase and installations. More info / reading materials and contact links here: https://www.burlingtonelectric.com/heatpumps
Unique-Public-8594 t1_jbcqfzi wrote
We paid $22k for one heat pump, Bosch with Aux coil. That price included updated panel and pole. New ducts and floor vents. No splits. Installed in November. We were toasty warm even when the temp dipped down to -20s. No wood stove nor fireplace back up. We have a propane automatic generator.