[MoonRiver]

I didn't know there was such a thing until I started looking for a heating/cooling solution for my house. I had been using 2 500 btu window ac's, but they are slightly undersized. I have electric baseboard heat.

The house is about 1400 sq ft, but I only need to heat/cool about 1000 sq ft at most. I was just about to order a window ac with a heating element when I found an Amana 17,300 BTU window heat pump (up to 850 sq ft). This would be used to cool 1 bedroom, LR, kitchen, and bathroom. I would keep 1 500 btu window ac installed in other bedroom in case it's needed.

One drawback is I could buy a window ac/heater with 24000 btu for about 2/3 the price of the heat pump. Is it likely I would save much on heating bill by buying the heat pump? Anything else to be concerned about?

 

[HermitJohn]

LOL, just install your window AC backwards for winter use.... so it cools the outside air and sends waste heat into the house. It is just a small air to air heat pump. The really efficient heat pumps are those that use ground water. They are not cheap.

 

[Bearfootfarm]

Is it likely I would save much on heating bill by buying the heat pump?

Probably very little.
Heat pumps aren't all that efficient when you need them most.

 

[mreynolds]

12,000 BTU's are equivalent to a ton of AC. What you are proposing would probably be ok in you area. Not sure about the heat. It would take 2 tons to cool the same amount here where I live.

 

[secondhandacres]

Look into ductless mini splits, you can find them in diy packages that with a little elbow grease and no how you can install them yourself. I think you’ll find them similarly priced to what you already had in mind too. Much quieter units and can be much more efficient depending on the unit. Generally the higher the seer rating the cheaper it is to operate when cooling. The hspf is the heating efficiency rating, the higher the number the cheaper it is to operate when heating. All heat pumps struggle to heat a space when outdoor temps drop below 30 ish degrees F so don’t expect miracles if you live in cold country.

 

[MoonRiver]

Look into ductless mini splits, you can find them in diy packages that with a little elbow grease and no how you can install them yourself. I think you’ll find them similarly priced to what you already had in mind too. Much quieter units and can be much more efficient depending on the unit. Generally the higher the seer rating the cheaper it is to operate when cooling. The hspf is the heating efficiency rating, the higher the number the cheaper it is to operate when heating. All heat pumps struggle to heat a space when outdoor temps drop below 30 ish degrees F so don’t expect miracles if you live in cold country.

The only way a mini-split really makes sense would be to get at least 2 interior units. I have a brick house which makes installation a bit more difficult. So now I would be looking at paying a HVAC company to install the system making it more expensive than it's worth.

 

[secondhandacres]

The only way a mini-split really makes sense would be to get at least 2 interior units. I have a brick house which makes installation a bit more difficult. So now I would be looking at paying a HVAC company to install the system making it more expensive than it's worth.

Why would a single interior evaporator mini split be any different than what you purposed? A window unit, heat pump or not would have one single indoor unit sitting in a window. Either way the same space in your home will be conditioned.

 

[MoonRiver]

Why would a single interior evaporator mini split be any different than what you purposed? A window unit, heat pump or not would have one single indoor unit sitting in a window. Either way the same space in your home will be conditioned.

Price.

There is already a 230v receptacle for the window unit. If I do a mini-split, I need to hire an electrician.

 

[secondhandacres]

If price is a major concern the cheapest way your heat and cool the space would be regular window Ac units. The 24,000 btu with strip heat you mentioned in your original post will defiantly be 230 volt and I doubt you have a outlet prewired to the window you intend to use. This will add cost to the install of that unit. Window ac units are 230 volt once you start getting around the 12-18,000 btu size. Some will be 110 volt in that same size range but will have a 20 amp 120 plug. The standard outlet is 15 amp in most homes. Just some things to keep in mind when buying whatever you choose

 

[Shrek]

I didn't know there was such a thing until I started looking for a heating/cooling solution for my house. I had been using 2 500 btu window ac's, but they are slightly undersized. I have electric baseboard heat.

The house is about 1400 sq ft, but I only need to heat/cool about 1000 sq ft at most. I was just about to order a window ac with a heating element when I found an Amana 17,300 BTU window heat pump (up to 850 sq ft). This would be used to cool 1 bedroom, LR, kitchen, and bathroom. I would keep 1 500 btu window ac installed in other bedroom in case it's needed.

One drawback is I could buy a window ac/heater with 24000 btu for about 2/3 the price of the heat pump. Is it likely I would save much on heating bill by buying the heat pump? Anything else to be concerned about?

When I first switched to 110 volt 5000 BTU air conditioners so I could selectively cool the rooms while replacing the one in my home office, I had to go with a higher BTU unit and instead of a 110 volt air conditioner I ended up with a window air conditioner /heat pump instead and it worked fairly well for 7 or 8 years cooling and heating the 160 square foot room and hallway if I had the door open until it died. the drawback I found was that unlike the central heatpump unit , he window unit didn't heat as well in my office when temps reached mid 40s

Now I am back to window air conditioners and oil radiators to selectively cool and heat the seven rooms of my house at about 1/3 of the cost of the ceiling ductwork split heat pump I have long retired for normal use.

 

[manfred]

I installed a mini split unit several years ago. Top of the line brand. It has 3 circuit boards and a few added thermisters that can stop operation and are real tough to diagnose. I finally had to abandon the unit and put in window units. They quit and in a couple of hours and a couple of hundred dollars you are back in business.

 

[fordy]

.............Check the window units whereby the unit will slide into and out of a metal case ! You can install the case in an existing metal or wood window and mount the case semi permanently........then the actual unit simply slides into the metal case . The advantage is that , IF the unit needs service , it simply slides OUT of the metal case and slides back in once repaired !
.............Some of these units are called....."Through the Wall" ac's , but I purchased a Friedrich 12,000Btu window unit that came with it's own metal case ! I removed a window in the slideout of my RV and mounted it in the hole . It works extremely well ! A 240 volt ac unit will operate a lot more efficiently than a 120volt ac unit given that they are both rated at the same Btu value ! Since you're using the unit in your home look at the 240 volt ac units , If you can have a 240 volt circuit installed by an electrician . , fordy

 

[Elevenpoint]

I installed a motel type unit, heat and air in a remodel once. About a 1000 but worked very well.

 

[danieljamesboy]

How difficult it all is. How can a person understand this, who does not understand anything about it, but wants to get an air conditioner home?
Fortunately, on the recommendation of a friend, I turned to the company https://www.airconservicingsingapore.com/installation/, in which I was well advised. From the measurements to the type of air conditioner, I received proper recommendations in everything. Also, a great bonus is that they are always in touch and can come almost immediately if there is any problem with the air conditioning. To anyone who does not understand anything in these details, I can recommend a similar way to solve the problem.

 

[MoonRiver]

I installed the window unit last summer - ac and heater (heat pump). This is the same as a through-the-wall unit in motels, except it installs in the window. It has worked fine. I use baseboard heat in the bathroom and 2 bedrooms, and I am getting ready to put a small window ac back in the master bedroom.

 

[Nevada]

Is it likely I would save much on heating bill by buying the heat pump?

Probably not. Heat pump systems are only efficient down to about 40 F. Anything below that temperature and the system reverts to the secondary heating source, such as electric heat strips.

LOL, just install your window AC backwards for winter use....

Novel idea, and of course you could do that, but it wouldn't work well for heating. AC systems are optimized for cooling, not heating. Heat pump system optimization is a compromise between heating and cooling, so neither is ideally optimized. So using a window AC unit installed backwards would not provide good efficiency.

But I sense humor in your suggestion. Even though you were largely kidding, I thought it was important to say why it wouldn't be a good decision.