Heat pumps/minisplits

pmchale

We are building a new house in upstate NY, in 2020. I am struggling with how to heat and cool it. I may not have access to natural gas, so let's assume that is out. Geothermal is an option, but with a long ROI, not sure I want to go that route. I know minisplits from trips to Mexico, for cooling only. But heat pump (mnisplit?) systems can also be used for heating...? If not, any other suggestions, besides the obvious wood or pellets?

Thanks,
Pat

Jellis

use your heat pumps for heating and cooling and add a condensing LP boiler for more efficient heat during the coldest months, and to provide your hot water. There are many options for radiation... in floor radiant, baseboard, panel radiators, towel warmers, kick space heaters, ceiling registers...

just my opinion

Larry Weingarten

Hi, As you have the opportunity, build a really good shell for the house. I’d look into SIP panels for their superior insulation and air tightness. With that done, your heat loss and gain will be much easier to manage.

Yours, Larry

Jamie Hall

In upstate (define, please?) if you are building new it is quite possible to have a passive solar heated house which uses almost no outside heat of any kind... but as @Jellis said, whatever your will want an LP fired heater for the coldest weather.

GW

Yes that’s done. You’ll need elec heat in bathrooms

pmchale

Thanks everyone. This is a timberframe house, and we will at least use roof SIPs, and maybe SIPs for walls too. It will be a fairly open floor plan, with a semi-finished basement. I am guessing I may need a small heat source in the basement. I am considering just a pellet stove on the first floor, with some electric baseboard backup, just in case, or heat pump unit(s). Electric in bathrooms is favorable. My current house has electric radiant floor heating, and despite manufacturer warning that it should not be relied on a THE heat source, it works very well for heating the room, so we may go that route for bathrooms.

Jellis

@pmchale I think Towel radiator's look nice for bathroom heat, they have Hydronic and Electric options.

Personally I am not a fan of pellet stoves. I think they are noisy and dirty and the pellets are a pain to deal with.

I would certainly get the heat pumps vs the baseboard and give yourself the added comfort of cooling, plus the electric baseboard is going to use much more electricity than the heat pump to my knowledge.