save money if you use a heat pump this winter
 

I have had it with $400 electric bills in the winter.I found a video on youtube called how to hack your heat pump. You install a switch to disable electric heat elements during defrost mode. You heat pump is capable of heating the house on pump alone down to 0 degrees.I did mine and been down to 28 with no loss of heat.

How big is your heat pump? Cost of power per kilowatt hour?

I have a 2 ton,10 cents per kilowatt. Its the 220 volt heaters that drive up my bill.

If I was younger I buy a geothermal.

Interesting info.

I read also one lady that had high bills in the summer.Her heat pump would not cool her home either.Turns out electric strip heater was running too.Simple switch sloved the problem. I started doing my own heat pump repairs,using info off the net,saved $150 so far this summer.When time comes for a new outside unit,I can either change out compressor,or whole unit,then call for a freon fillup.

All in power is about 17c per kilowatt hour here in our area of eastern Canada. No argument for younger guys if they can somehow get a geo thermal setup in service cheap enough. Cost versus reward at my age of 73 is just not there.

Locally we are still learning about heat pumps.Too many people seem to have unreasonable expectations. At a certain temperature going on an alternative heating system seems about the best strategy.

I toyed with a design change that might make some sense. Basically another fluid line in the outside condenser. At a certain temperature or defrost call our well water is circulated through the self draining line when no flow is present. Then returned to the well. It could both defrost and provide some additional heat to scavenge from the water.

There are some problems about just how cold the well water might become but on average since the flow is not that great and of a constant nature it may keep the well water well above freezing.

After I work out all the math and if it seems practical. I might approach a manufacture of the heat pumps we buy to build a special condenser for me.

You cannot return the same water to the same well as is the case of a true geo thermal unit but hopefully my calculations might allow this on a single well setup.

This was just something I thought of yesterday. So it will take a little time to totally discount the ideal. Many things I consider are impractable. Yet some work out well.

This one is going to depend on how many btus can be scavenged from the well periodically. Without getting it too cold. Remember the flow rate is relatively small and the volume is also. A small control system and pump is both cheap and inexpensive to operate. Although a small new feeder line from the well is required plus a return.

Will the coils ice up, possibly causing damage if the electric defrost is disabled?

no,it will just blow cool air for the 15 minute defrost cycle if needed.If its real cold I can switch back on the coils.