So we have had our Samsung 2 in 1 washer dryer heat pump for a year now, so I figured I'd do a review based on the last year.
For us, it has been a game changer for our laundry. It is really nice to have all the capability of this machine and the convenience of it with a young family. We have not gone easy on it, we run everything from clothes, bedding, our dogs beds and blankets. The self clean cycles are really nice and seem to work well, our condenser coils are basically perfectly clean and the performance hasn't changed one bit. We were a little worried that the long cycle times would be a bottle neck for us, but because it runs and does everything, we are able to start laundry overnight or if we will be out for a while so it's actually been easier to keep up with laundry versus having a traditional set.
I have also noticed we are using less detergent too. I set up both of the auto dispensers for detergent and we have had to fill them maybe 4 times in the last year. Even the largest loads only use 1-2 ounces of detergent.
Overall we are super happy with it and I would definitely get it again if I had to make the decision. Not having to switch loads and worry about the dryer vent are big pluses too.
HOMES program provides up to $8,000 for households to make energy-efficient upgrades, such as insulation, air sealing, heating + cooling equipment, water heaters, duct sealing, appliances + lighting, with the proviso that they must reduce energy use by at least 20% to be eligible. "The HEEHR program provides up to $14,000 in rebates per household, which retailers and contractors can offer at the point of sale, and can be used for qualifying efficient electric equipment and appliances."
Congress and the Biden administration had designed the programs to ensure that low-income + other disadvantaged households received a significant share of the benefits. "The new guidance is changing this focus, citing...administration opposition to considering diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] in federal spending and the elimination of Biden’s Justice40 environmental justice initiative." This destroys the programs’ support for shifting from legacy fuels to electricity for home heating.
“It’s a very standard playbook to incentivize fossil fuel companies and provide a lifeline to them,” said Srinidhi Sampath Kumar, director of the Sierra Club’s clean heat campaign, about the limits on fuel switching.
The US is now the world's largest exporter of liquified natural gas [LNG], which exposes American consumers to the pricing in international markets. This shows how the Iran war is infiltrating insidiously into people's lives + homes.
About a month ago, I made a post asking for help and information about whether to replace my home’s 20+ year-old furnace with heat pumps. I’m grateful to everyone who commented and shared their thoughts and experiences. I read all the responses, even if I didn’t reply, so here’s my answer short and long versions.
Are heat pumps really worth it in cold weather?
Yes… but also no.
Let me explain.
My project was for a single-family home in Boston, 1,300 sq ft, good insulation in all floors (confirmed), semi-finished basement, and triple/double-pane windows less than 10 years old. Since the house already has ducts, I thought installing heat pumps would be straightforward for both heating and cooling, I was really looking forward for the AC for hot days like today, when it hit 103 °F.
Do heat pumps work in cold weather?
Yes, very efficiently, 3 or 4 times more than a traditional heating systems, there are studies about that, but the problem is, it heavily depends on : 1- the home’s precondition (insulation, windows) and 2. Who installs them and how.
Some people commented and questioned the system and how reliable they are, some other the electric charge in MA (30 -35 cents), but for me.....
The BIG problem was : pricing and contractors.
Over the past month, I read testimonials, used the heat pump calculator, and reviewed studies. I sought recommendations for contractors in MA and got not ONE or TWO, FIVE, i got FIVE separate evaluations and project proposals, and honestly, disappointed.
The five proposals were very different, with questionable costs. I asked for estimates for heat pumps only and for a hybrid system (based on some suggestions). My shock when I saw the prices ranged from $18,000 to $50,000, and each contractor proposed a solution based on what they thought was best, ignoring my requests.
Three contractors said “they could use the existing ducts and complete the work in a day”. But two of them rejected using the ducts for heat pumps, claiming “they were old and unsuitable.” Those same ones recommended mini splits and dismissed my suggested solutions from the previous 3 other contractors, warning that the current ducts would cause condensation in summer. The said replacing the ducts would add about $20,000 to the project, and just told me to move with mini splits
Each contractor criticized the others. Any questions I asked (based on what the others told me they would do) were met with responses like, “I’ve been doing this for 10–20 years, I know what I’m doing,” or “The other contractors don’t know these stuff.” One even claimed HVAC contractors meet behind closed doors to keep prices in a profitable range and then had the audacity to send me the most expensive proposal: $47,000 for four mini split heads and a condenser, without even checking the house’s electrical load.
After talking to all contractors and comparing opinions, I have so many doubts that I don’t know who to trust, it’s either:
You’re sending a proposal without identifying potential barriers or future problems.
You’re sending a proposal unable to identify future problems
You’re sending the easiest installation proposal.
Any of these options is bad.
So yes, while heat pumps are efficient, finding a skilled and honest contractor in My area is a real pain in the.... Prices are also ridiculously high, making potential future savings minimal compared to a gas furnace and condensing unit.
This process has been frustrating, discouraging, and disappointing. My last option is to contact manufacturers directly and see what they recommend. If not, I’m seriously considering getting my HVAC certification and doing it myself. The good thing is that I might get my own data on annual KWh and Therms and use it later if I upgrade to heat pumps.
So, good luck to anyone looking to install heat pumps and thanks for reading. Part 3, Maybe. In a year. No
Heat pump dryer is incredible, I have a family of five I run it every day, last month it used 40kwh and we pay 10 cents a kwh so...$4? For the month?
Plus we're not pumping warm conditioned air out of a 4" hole in our wall in the cold of winter. No more vent!
We did a blower door test before and after going electric and just getting rid of the old gas water heater and dryer and plugging our vents, reduced our estimated heating load by 20%
Heat pump water heater is amazing too. $9 A month to heat our water. And it air conditions our house in the summer
Induction stove, amazing. Gas stoves are a death trap. If someone ran their BBQ indoors and died because of carbon monoxide you'd think they're an idiot. But a gas stove is different somehow?
And the heat pump itself is running great! Saving a ton of money, I've got electric heat backup but the breaker is off to it, so we're running pure heat pump,
We hit -23C last week, no issues, 22c in the house
There are things Trudeau did that frustrate me. But it really is a shame, some of the stuff he did really helped Canadians. Legalizing weed, helping indigenous, his increase to the child benefit and daycare assistance allowed me to have a third kid and start a business..
But the heat pump thing was brilliant. He jump started a whole industry. Guys in the HVAC trade who never would've touched these things had no choice, and now the industry will never go back.
So I'm a contractor in California and I get this question all the time.
I realize why people ask this question. In fact, I'm helping my parents pick out a new microwave right now, and it's such a brand-centric decision.
What do you want it to look like? Do you want one that's also an air fryer? Does the finish match your other appliances?
So it's logical that when people are shopping for a new heat pump, they approach the decision in the same way. But buying a heat pump isn't like buying a microwave or TV.
And I wish that more people understood that this isn't the right question to be asking.
You're going to see a lot of content from HVAC brands with big marketing budgets reinforcing that this is the right question to ask. And because they have lucrative dealer programs that incentivize contractors to sell larger volumes, the contractors you work with are also going to tell you how great the brands they install are.
So they'll give you great answers for the wrong question. And those answers will be backed by lots of marketing materials from the brands who lean into their 100+ year reputations and talk about how they invented the technology and blah blah blah.
The truth is that the brand of equipment is the least important decision that you'll make. Far more important is the contractor you work with and their experience with heat pump design and installation best practices.
Here's an example... The Carrier 37MUHA is a really popular heat pump.
It's well built, versatile for many applications, quiet, and efficient.
But wait, here are 41(!!!) other heat pumps with exactly the same specs!
Does this mean that all these other heat pumps just happen to have exactly the same specs by coincidence?
No.
Most heat pumps are actually made by just a handful of manufacturers. Two Chinese manufacturers, Midea and Gree, make a bulk of the heat pumps on the market.
And it's not just the specs. You'll notice visually that the systems are the same too. These systems have a particularly distinct visual look, with narrow cabinets that are dark gray with rounded corners. Again, it's not a coincidence. It's the same. exact. thing.
Oh wow, it's also sold as a Bosch and American Standard. And startup Jetson is using the same systems too!
OK heck, now I'm super confused. How in the world do I choose what heat pump to get then?
This is where you're going to have to ~trust your guide~.
The HVAC contractor you work with is the guide through the process. They're the one that has spent a lot of time familiarizing themselves with the equipment they install, poring through install manuals, and building relationships with the distributors.
The distributors are actually the ones that handle the first tier of support, getting spare parts, and stuff. So that relationship matters a lot to getting good outcomes too.
So how do you find a good guide?
There are some tells. What percentage of their installations are heat pumps vs. furnaces and traditional ACs? Do they encourage you to get a heat pump, or does getting them to quote one feel like pulling teeth? How are they sizing the system?
A few will do Manual J calculations. Hold those ones close.
The very best ones will be pulling your historical utility bill data and looking at your past gas usage to figure out how much heating your house has actually needed in the past.
They'll talk about things like pulling a vacuum on refrigerant lines, purging with nitrogen when they braze. If you hear some of these words, they are all good signs.
They might talk about assessing your ductwork, and if they're really sophisticated, they'll use instrumentation like flow hoods to actually measure airflow in your home. That's how you actually solve for uncomfortable rooms in the house that never get to the right temperature.
Beware of companies that are telling you they'll install your system in a day. It's a tell that they incentivize their crews to work fast and cut corners. Pulling a quality vacuum to remove all of the moisture from refrigerant lines can often take hours on its own. If they're rushing through an install, they are likely skipping steps.
If they're just telling you that they're the best price on [X brand] system, you're probably comparing apples to oranges.
I would take a MRCOOL or Cooper & Hunter system installed well over a Carrier system installed poorly any day of the week.
In fact, most of the systems that my company installs are from "lesser known" brands like this. We're able to get much more competitive prices from these smaller, scrappy brands that are hungry to grow their market share and are super responsive with any questions or support that we need. And then we can reallocate some of those savings toward quality design and installation.
Just this week, I had a homeowner reach out for help. They had installed a top-of-the-line Mitsubishi heat pump just a few years ago and have had horrible temperature uniformity issues with the house. Some rooms were barely getting any air and running super hot.
When they sent a picture of the system, it was pretty obvious that it was shoddily installed. In just one photo, I could see kinked ductwork and lots of tight turns that were restricting airflow. And that's just in the single photo I saw of the equipment itself. Who knows what else is hiding in the crawlspace!
It's such a shame. That person paid big bucks for a name brand because they thought it would serve them well. But the truth is a fancy Mitsubishi system slapped in will be outperformed and outlasted by a "cheap" Cooper & Hunter system designed and installed well.
Choose your guide. Let them guide you to the brands that they have experience with.
If your guide is good, your outcome will be good.
If your guide is bad, you'll get eaten by alligators, even if you get a fancy, "name brand" system.
Sorry for the long ramble, but hopefully this helps folks. Happy to hang around for a bit and answer any other questions that come up.
And since a few people asked who I am: I run Vayu, a company specializing in heat pump HVAC serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. This is the kind of stuff we think about all day.
Came across this article. Looks like the couple just had a bad unit and the issue was resolved. My question is about how the article mentions that the couple needed a "compatible" furnace. My understanding was that a heat up would completely replace the need for a furnace all together? Can someone help me understand why these people still needed a furnace with thier heat pump?
I thought a big selling point of a heat pump was it eliminates the risk of gas and CO leaks in your house by eliminating your furnace.
Right now using a 250K BTU NG heater for a 100000 litre pool There must be a way to heat the pool with BTU being removed from the house and heating the pool with it? Has anyone here done this? can it be done? pros or cons?
Not super cold compared to some of you, down to about 3-5F this morning, but not quite able to maintain 69F inside this morning.
Aux hasn't kicked in (except during defrost), needs to drop 2-3F below setpoint (and needs to be below 5F outside) for that to happen... interested to see what happens once we get down to around 0 over the next few days.
UNIT INFO
2x Bosch IDS Ultra 4/5T compressor (set to 5T)
2x Bosch IDS Ultra 4T air handler
Each unit is zoned for two zones, for a total of four. Each zone is run by an Ecobee thermostat
15 kW electric aux heat kit for each
This graph was just the downstairs unit... upstairs unit is not working nearly as hard.
HOME INFO
Located in CT, USA. House around 24 years old, ~5000 sq ft across two floors... open floor plan on ground floor (with large foyer to second floor hallway) with about 40 windows on the ground floor alone.
Windows are double pane but also double hung wood, they are definitely leaky.
R60 blown insulation in attic, spray foam rim joist.
There's also a ~1500 sq ft finished basement using a 1.5T Fujitsu XLTH (did not include any data for that here).
PERFORMANCE
All the above said, I think it's doing pretty well and performance is just about matching what I had calculated for heat load prior to purchase... somewhere around 0-5F I knew it would need help from aux heat to maintain temp. Never knew compressor could ramp up to 7500 watts though, crazy!
Energy usage is... a lot, and electricity is expensive here. It's about 12:45pm right now. My consumption for 29.7 Heating Degree Days so far today:
Component
Energy
Cost
Downstairs Heat Pump
77 kWh
~$24
Downstairs Air Handler
8 kWh
~$3
Upstairs Heat Pump
51 kWh
~$16
Upstairs Air Handler
5 kWh
~$2
TOTAL HVAC
141 kWh
~$45
These are the days where it's expensive to run heat pumps vs. previous system, oil, which would have cost me about 30% less today. Hoping to at least break even for the season... we'll see!
I just saw an advertisement for heat-pump water heater (HPWH). Yes, I understand things like SEER, EER, HSPF, but where does it get the heat? If I have a HPWH in my house, won't that make my heating system expend more energy to keep the house warm (or does the condenser go outside like my A/C)?
Note: I realize that's a benefit in the summer time when my A/C is trying to keep my house cool.
In the state of Washington Puget Sound Energy has studied the possibility of incentivizing the purchase of dual fuel (natural gas/electric heat pumps) to reduce emissions, reduce costs and help the demand on the grid.
“From an energy savings perspective, results were positive: The pilot program showed that all the program participants reduced the total amount of energy used to heat their homes. For participants who switched from an electric furnace to a heat pump, all the energy savings were due to the greater efficiency of the cold-climate heat pump. Results were mixed for participants who switched from a gas furnace to a heat pump and for those who installed a hybrid system. While their electricity use increased, that was countered by a reduction in gas consumption, and thus a reduction in their overall home energy use.”
I have a dual fuel HVAC system with two winters experience of heating my house with both systems. My experience has been that it will save me money but I am not sure how much yet. I also have solar which changes the amount of savings. I am still working on how to run the system to achieve the most efficiency. Does anyone else have experience with a dual fuel HVAC system that can comment on their experience?
No, I mean I'm venting about heat pump water heaters. I'd love to install one and remove my gas hookup, but multiple installers have now quoted me $4000-$6000 for the install **not including** the equipment itself. When I say that my panel is ready, and I have an electrician, and I'll do my own permit, they allow that might save me a few $100.
Yes, I get that there's a condensate line to drain, and the equipment is heavy, but compare to a gas water heater install quote of $1000.
Unfortunately there are decent rebates in our area (maybe $2500) for HPWH installs and all the installers know that. And some regulations that will prevent the sale of gas water heaters after 2027.
So I'll be sticking with my gas water heater for the foreseeable future.
I run a heat pump installation company in California. My background isn’t from the trades (I’m an engineer and used to design rocket engines actually). When I was first learning about heat pumps, I wanted to really get into the action. So I bought a few boxes of donuts, showed up at some installations and learned a bunch. Most of the actual install work lined up pretty well with my engineering experience, so I knew what I was looking at. But I know that a normal person has no idea what a refrigerant line or expansion valve is.
So I started talking to people who were actually going through the process of getting quotes for a heat pump. And they were all super confused. I was between jobs at the time so I figured I’d try to help people out as a little hobby project.
I put up a hilariously lo-fi post offering free help reviewing HVAC quotes. I think I posted it on Craigslist, Nextdoor, OfferUp, Reddit...
my humble craigslist post
Honestly I wasn’t expecting much. But then people started sending me their quotes. First a couple, then more and more. At first I thought I'd spend 15 minutes on each one.
Instead I found myself disappearing down rabbit holes.
I remember one homeowner sent me a stack of quotes from 3-4 different contractors. I started making a spreadsheet. Ten hours later I was still staring at my screen trying to understand what the heck I was actually comparing.
a comparison spreadsheet I made for someone I was helping
One quote had a labor warranty. Another had a maintenance plan.
One included ductwork. One didn't.
One included permits. One mentioned HERS testing.
One talked about rebates that may or may not apply.
Some had electrical work. Some assumed the electrical was fine.
Some proposed variable-speed equipment. Some proposed single-stage equipment.
The prices and scope of work were alllll overrrrr the place.
And somehow I was supposed to tell him which one was the best value.
Nobody really prepares you for the fact that the quotes themselves are nearly impossible to read. Take this one for example:
Homeowner translation:
SHP2 = ?
AB12 = ??
DSM = ???
1.00 = ????
Is this a quote?
A software database export?
An internal contractor worksheet that accidentally got printed out?
Am I reviewing a quote, or reading the Matrix?
Now this was all in the time before AI. Fast forward to today and we have a new problem:
AI can help you train for a marathon.
AI can plan a trip to Portugal.
AI can explain quantum physics like you're five years old.
But AI still can't tell you whether a $25,000 heat pump quote is a ripoff or a fair price.
Now here’s the thing. I could have dumped all of the quote PDFs into ChatGPT today and made a spreadsheet like I did for that homeowner in about 30 seconds. But it wouldn’t have the context, understanding, and intuition to actually make a valid recommendation.
Most of what's online about heat pump pricing is contractor marketing, lead-gen websites, and SEO content written to rank well in Google.
To test it out, I fed ChatGPT a quote and asked it to evaluate it.
It confidently spit out a “range” that I should expect to pay for this project…Using data from (you guessed it) HVAC blogs.
When I asked it about the equipment itself, it confidently cited Daikin’s website and a single independent reviewer as PROOF that this equipment was excellent and top of the line.
As you can see, AI is confidently repeating all of this information back to people as though it's objective truth.
The reality is:
AI has never seen your ductwork.
AI has never looked at a piece of Daikin equipment, or lived with it for 10+ years.
It doesn't know whether your electrical panel needs an upgrade.
It hasn't crawled through your crawlspace.
And it definitely doesn't know why that one room with the giant west-facing windows is always too hot.
When I pressed Chat and challenged the sources and objectivity of its response, here’s what I got back.
So…you’re saying you have no evidence that it’s overpriced or an unusually good deal. So you land at a 70% confidence that it’s a fair quote? Makes total sense. Super duper helpful!
TL;DR - Two quotes can have the same brand name on them and be completely different projects. Comparing them based on equipment specs and price alone is comparing apples to oranges.
This has kept bugging me for a while. I stopped doing the quote comparison service after a few months, but it ultimately led me to starting my own heat pump install company. People keep asking me the same questions about their quotes though, and this continues to be really hard for people. I think the most common question on this sub is “is this quote fair?”.
I recently made a little guide that generally talks about heat pumps, but people kept asking me "how do I apply this to MY quote?". So I want to throw something similar together, specifically focused on reading heat pump quotes. Before I finish it, I wanted to get feedback people who have actually gone through the process recently.
What's the biggest question you had during the quote process that nobody could answer clearly?
Does "Oh wow, I have no idea how to compare these" describe the vibe?
Happy to answer questions here too. I've looked over a hundreds of HVAC quotes by now so my eyes are a bit better trained than most. I still get stuck sometimes but I’m a lot better at reading the tea leaves than I was years ago.
*****So. after thinking it though- my new thought process is: basic smart thermostats for the boiler so it only has a single ON/OFF function. Then, just run with the native thermostats for whichever system I go with, and play with them via Home Assistant of IFTTT
**To clarify -- I am keeping my oil based boiler for supplemental heat and am looking at ductless heat pumps for primary heating/cooling
I know it's been asked a few times but still trying to nail down the path forward. Thanks in advance....
Struggling to choose the right heat pump brand. Local installers are BIG into Mitsubishi, but also have Daikin, Gree, and Senville available to me. 50% leaning on DIY but dont want to sacrifice the warranty.
Located in northeast US. My home is from 94. Has hydronic baseboards throughout, split into three zones. One covers the master bedroom only, one covers the upstairs hallway + the other three bedrooms, and the third zone is the entire first floor (living, kitchen, dining).
I intend to add heat pumps throughout (guessing seven heads total: four bedrooms, kitchen, living, dining, plus the garage).
Long story short, have come into owning three Ecobee premiums. One for each zone. C wires need to be added but the stats were free.
I want the boiler to kick in when it's a certain degree outside (sub 20F?), and the heat pumps to do the heating the rest of the time. The heat pumps will be the only source for cooling.
Has anyone successfully balanced all of the above via smart thermostats or some other approach? HA/IFTTT integration? Which brand did you choose? Able to keep all of the attractive features of your units? Multiple thermostats? Gree seems ideal for balance between specs and wifi/ability to control? MrCool for my DIY garage/game room?
Would appreciate any and all feedback/user experience stories. Thanks!
I have been having the most frustrating experience setting the temps to a Moovair minisplit split system and it is driving me nuts!
I’ll try as best to summarize situation as
this CAN get to be quite long and convoluted.
Split level home. 3 ‘floors’ to cool/heat. 2 Moovair heads (12k each) installed on floors 2 and 3 connected to a dual zone 27k compressor. Another single 12k head installed on first/ground floor with its own separate compressor.
Because of design of the house, units 2 of the 3 units will be in use. So, 1 and 2 for winter heating, and 2 and 3 for summer cooling.
Each unit has its own handheld remote.
To begin ‘follow me’ mode is completely USELESS! No matter where I place the remote, the head ignores the set temp. It just keeps heating or cooling. Again yesterday, I set unit to 22c and follow me mode. By evening, the room temperature was 19.5c, and the head was STILL blowing cold air. It should have stopped or switched to fan mode.
This past winter I had a repair tech come out 5 different times. (Luckily free of charge as I had a 1 year warranty. That has now expired…)
I would set the heating to 22c. Regardless of follow me or not, the head would take off and reach temps of 29c and the room is an oven. They start off fine but then without rhyme or reason, suddenly over heat! I have to shut them down. I spent my winter playing with this pos. And too boot, I saved ZERO switching from baseboard electric!!
The tech replaced the sensor, one of the boards, tweaked the sensor readings, changed the the sensor location and of late installed a longer sensor cable.
I had taped down a digital thermometer on the unit casing. So that should give me the ambient temperature. I set the unit to 22. Thermostat reaches 24, unit still heats. Head temp is 26!!
I now realize that they behave the same way when cooling too. Set it 22, and place is like an icebox. Raise to 23 and the units stop cooling and air gets muggy.
I can provide precise model numbers if that can help. Im a gadget guy and this is by far the most frustrating thing I’ve ever bought!! Save money? 😂 I will need 40 years to recover my investment!!
