Prav said:
OK, so far, so good.... Some follow-up questions:
(1) How do I know if I currently have an electric heater vs. heat pump? To me, it looks like an A/C unit, so that's why I think I'm correct in calling it a heat pump.
(2) Heat pump >>> electric heater because of the "assist" of drawing ambient heat, right?
(3) While a EH may be cheaper than an equal capacity HP, in the long-run HP wins because of operating costs.
Hopefully, so far, so good.... now:
My understanding from people down here in South Florida that have natural gas is that it isn't cheap for heating their pool (for cooking, it isn't so bad).
Isn't it all the same price per therm? It's still the cost per 100K BTU that BK compared NG vs. kWH.
[quote:443uk4f3]By and large, with electric rates (total price) between 15-20 cents per kW/Hr, and NG at $1 per therm, give or take 20 cents or so, NG pool heat is as economical as a heat pump
without all the drawbacks (with the caveats of energy price differentials in a given area).
Are the drawbacks the speed to heat up? Maintenance? Other? I know for me the NG drawback is having to run the gas line (and the 25¢ per 100K BTU additional cost).
Niceguymr: did you get electric heater? Or heat pump... You reference both in your post ("I just recently purchased an electric heater" and later "Quite honestly though, if the heating times were the same, I'd go with an electric heat pump no question about it.").
Thanks for the feedback so far!
[/quote:443uk4f3]
Here are some answers to your above questions:
(1) When I say electric heater, I'm referring to a heat pump. So the answers to 2 and 3 not relevant. Electric heater = heat pump.
As for the cooking comment, the amount of gas used to cook is relatively low. Therefore, you may spend $25/month in NG for cooking and maybe $100/month to heat your pool. (I just made up those numbers completely, but it was to make my previous point about cooking cost clear). I know from people who have an NG pool heater that they don't use it often b/c of the cost, but they love it for the kitchen and personal water heater (a lot smaller than a pool).
I just looked at my FPL bill and I pay about .09/kwh (.11/kwh total if you include everything else - keeping in mind that NG also has taxes & surcharges too). Just look at your last FPL bill to confirm what I'm saying. I have no idea what natural gas costs in South Florida but you should check the rates for yourself. Don't go by what someone on the interweb tells you.
And yes, I went with an electric heat pump. Why? Well, first - I didn't have a choice between electric and NG - that was easy. 2nd, Propane is even much more expensive than NG down here. Someone I know recently spent $500 to fill their tank. So an electric heat pump was the best choice for me, and I'm very happy with my purchase.
As for maintenance cost, I don't know the answer to that. My unit (Rheem) comes with a 5 year manufacturers warranty. I know that Rheem has been in the heat pump business for a very long time. My home has 2 A/C units. Both units are Rheem. I'm very happy with the service of my units.
Look, I don't know much about heaters, particularly NG ones. For me, the only drawback to the electric system was the amount of time it would take to heat up the pool/spa. If you can handle waiting an hour or so to heat up your spa and a 1/2 day to heat up your pool, then that issue is moot.
Down here, heat pumps are the most commonly used for pools. I used mine last week when it was relatively cold outside (remember?). On a night that was about 65 degrees outside, I brought my spa from 55 degrees to 105 degrees in about 90 minutes. Consider that the average year round temps in South Florida are 75 degrees and our Summers last 6 months. My heat pump is 117k btu. I could have gone with a 130k btu unit for only $200 more but I really didn't see the need for it. It worked excellently I promise you.
