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Has anyone else in the Pacific Northwest been thinking about saving energy at home by adding a heat pump, but been put off by the price? If so, check out this incentive program:

Northwest Ductless Heat Pump Project (http://www.nwductless.com/)

Bonneville Power and many regional utilities are offering a $1200 incentive or credit for installing high efficiency mini-split (ductless) heat pumps. This credit is available only to single family homes with zonal electric heat (baseboard or in-wall heaters, not central furnaces with ducts), and with no access to natural gas. This is for existing homes only, not new construction, for homeowners who have been in their homes at least a year, and plan to stay two more years. Units must be inverter-style (variable speed compressors) and meet certain efficiency requirements.

The preferred installations are single zone, in the main living area of the home. Ideally, heat will spill out into adjacent areas, displacing resistance heat on those zones too. I was initially hoping to get two-thirds of my heat from this, but tests during decision making are suggesting that I can get 80-90% from it (the bedrooms are intentionally kept cool). My ordered unit has HSPF of 10, which translates to a seasonal coefficient of performance (COP) of 2.9. At its rated operating point, COP is 3.7, almost as good as ground source (frequently mislabled 'geothermal') heat pumps, which are far more expensive.

Multi-zone units may be allowed, but don't increase the incentive.

Qualifying units also include A/C for free.

Total incentive is $1500, but $300 is split between the installer and distributor. BPA is funding 1500 units, and encouraging utilities to fund another 1000. PSE is doing 400 at full rate, and another 400 at a reduced rate of $800. I'm under Seattle City Light, which initially professed no knowledge of the program until other sources pointed me to the right contact.

While I was looking into this, the new Stimulus Bill added a 30% tax credit for these units too, limited to $1500 for this and several other conservation credits combined. I haven't adequately explored the rules for any limits on double-dipping.

-- Dean

Hi Dean:

___What is the outlay for your unit in lieu of rebates if you decide to go ahead with the installation?

___Thanks in advance.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

...___What is the outlay for your unit in lieu of rebates if you decide to go ahead with the installation? ...

The quote I have is for just under $4500 before incentives, for a unit rated 15k BTU unit, including taxes and permits (don't get me started on the those...). Subtract $1200 for the rebate, and another $990 to 1350 for federal credits, putting the final price in the range of $1950 to 2300.

I don't really have an accurate idea of what prices should be. Other vendors at the home show all gave guesses of $5-7k, except one that put an upper range of 8k. Program information found since the quote suggests that heat pump units typically wholesale for $1200 - 1500/ton (a ton is 12k BTU), and finished installations run $3-5k, varying very widely by location. My location is always on the high end for everything, even without taxes and permits. The other vendor called out for an estimate is 10 days overdue delivering his quote, and has probably blown me off. Both rated well on Angie's List.

Above capacity is for cooling. Heat is 18k BTU/hr at rated conditions and efficiency, 25k BTU max (with reduced efficiency). Capacity falls with outside temperature, so I'll never get more than about 17k from it, if my house thermal model is reasonable.

Vendor #1 wanted to size the unit for the whole house, which I declined. Subsequent information named the standard that should be used for sizing (many don't), and indicated that many heating contractors push oversize units, which hurts efficiency. I am now wondering if a 12k unit would be better fit over the whole heating season at our current house temperatures. But the thermostat will need to be turned up as my metabolism declines with age, and we would have had to use a significant amount of backup heat (from the old wall units) this chilly winter.

When I put an addition onto my house years ago and had to upgrade the furnace I went from a oil system to a heat pump/oil system.

It used to be that I would FAS the heat. Let it drop into the 50's overnight and kick it up just before I got up in the morning. I'd do the same with my work schedule. I can't do that with the heat pump. Because a heat pump likes to change the temperature slowly, (and the programmable thermostats accommodate that) when I set the temp to go up just before I got up, the heat pump would go on three/four hours before I got up. As a result the average temp in the house ended up higher overall then it was before I got the thing. Plus I did not get to sleep in the cool of the night they way I liked to.

So I have always regretted the decision to go with the heat pump. I have not figured out if there was any real cost savings. Since the house was bigger. I could not make that comparison.

Central or zoned? This program does not support central systems, nor zones other than the main living area. My unit will be at the oppposite end of the house from our sleeping area, and two doors allow heat flow to be throttled. My tests found no problem keeping the bedroom cool enough to sleep, but warm enough for its heaters to never turn on.

I am actually planning to use more heat, keeping the average temperature higher. But the much higher efficiency should still keep the energy bill down. Heat pumps are supposed to work best on cruise control or small setbacks, not FAS or P&G.