We have AC units...put in by our builders when the house was built, yadda yadda. Well...apparently there is a BIG reason why anyone with any sense puts heat pumps in homes here in TX as opposed to central ac units...lots more efficient! Which means less money on your electricity bill. Everyone we know who lives in a house with similar square footage to ours, similar house temps, similar lifestyles (lots of computers, and a stay at home mom) still have bills that are an average of $100 less than ours per month. Guess why? They have heat pumps! We had an energy audit done and yep...it's the AC units driving the bill up.


So now we're looking at switching them out for heat pumps...but oy it's going to be expensive. They'll pay for themselves though within a few years though, so I'm thinking it's definitely worth it.


Gonna get lots and lots of bids...

 

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We had a heat pump when we lived in Florida (panhandle). Now, this was >20 years ago, and maybe they've improved, but I never felt it cooled or dehumidified as well as a central AC. And in this part of the country (South Dakota), while they are sold, they aren't well-regarded. When it gets hot here, it gets HOT, and they simply don't cool as well as air conditioners. On the plus side, power isn't as expensive here as it is in other parts of the country.


(And why do you have AC units?? One unit should be able to cool the entire house--and if it can't, a bigger single unit would be more efficient than two smaller ones, I'd think. I'm no HVAC expert, but I understand the general theory--unless you have such a huge house that you need industrial units! )

 

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One for the first floor, one for the second. Our house is roughly 2500 square feet, and the separate floors really do have separate ac needs. The bottom floor is much shadier and cooler than the upper floor, so usually the only AC running is the one for the upper floor. I'm no HVAC expert either...perhaps I should become one. Most 2 story houses around here that I've seen though all have dual units, one per floor.

 

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This is true. We have a friend who lives in Austin, TX and he has two units as well. I thought it was odd until I read this thread.


Of course, I work for an air conditioning/air handling manufacturer so keep on buying those two units per home!


Silver

 

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Ahhh, okay Gaev...that makes perfect sense. Well...except...you can set a single AC unit to use two thermostats. Of course, you have to set up the ductwork and electrical from the start to work that way.


But yeah...a second ac for the top floor...Wish we had that. It'll be 74 on the main floor, 68 in the basement...and 90 in my computer room.

 

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heat pump? is that like a "swamp cooler" ?


here in good ol' albuquerque, new mexico where the weather is dry dryer and dryyyyy as can be I don't think I'd ever change back to central air... but I've never heard a of a heat pump. We have 2 "swamp coolers" (lol that phrase still cracks me up after being here 3+ years) and although we don't have a temp controlled thrmostat type dealy for it, I wouldn't change. It throws enough water into the air while cooling us down that I wouldn't do anything else.


so uh, anyway, what's a heat pump & is it different from a water based cooler/fan system (aka a swamp cooler) ?

 

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We have central air and a temp controlled thermostat. Heat pumps are not as efficient. *IMO*

 

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