New Heating System Costs and Options

Do not forget that you will most likely need new gas service for your heating plant, so you should start the process sooner than later

eman134

in Heating and Cooling 9 years and 3 months ago

5

Please log in, in order to post replies!

5 replies

Newest Oldest

mvidale66 | 9 years and 3 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4931 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4908 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "193171"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(9) "mvidale66"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BToJWSTvmAOGAD1B1kyF6sNrOxtqBI0"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(9) "mvidale66"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(17) "mvidale66@msn.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 13:47:09"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(47) "mvidale1 Your Last Name mvidale1 Your Last Name"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(193171)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

We’re in the process of purchasing a brownstone (4 stories including garden level) which originally had forced air but currently has electric baseboard heaters and no air conditioning. Our building inspector suggested that we should get off electric baseboards given the prohibitive cost.

I’m researching options and wondering what people in similar situations have done for both heating and cooling, and approximate costs.

A few considerations:
– The house is only 40 feet deep, with an open floor plan for parlor. Each of the other floors has a large room in the front and a large room in the back. In the middle are bathrooms / closets.
– We’re making substantial renovations but not gut renovating and looking to preserve as much detail as possible, including ceiling detail and flooring.
– We’d prefer not install large, visible air handlers of a mini split system.

My initial thoughts were to install a high velocity system like Unico or SpacePak for cooling. And either add a heating coil to the system or separately install hydronic baseboards.

Thoughts on best opti on and very rough costs? Also curious if anyone has recs for someone who could give us advice across the range of options. Not sure in whose bailiwick this decision falls.

bobjohn | 9 years and 3 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4932 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4850 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(5) "15883"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(7) "bobjohn"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(63) "$wp$2y$10$Gc9IYIN3ht2n519zCQnPR./EJLyUefAfHpzLI/dA0zt5VHdpcefV2"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(7) "bobjohn"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(18) "eamnesia@yahoo.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(29) "http:///forums/users/bobjohn/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 13:36:11"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(7) "bobjohn"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(15883)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

I think hot water heating works the best. You can separately install split units for cooling or even the inverting units for heating and cooling.

You do not have to install the cooling right away – window units work well for now. Whenever you want you can replace them with the split units.
But the heating system is critical. when winter comes you are looking to pay something like 1000-1500 a month for the electricity.

If you instead install hot water system with four zones (one for each floor) and reasonably efficient gas boiler (i.e. 85%) you probably will pay something like 200-300 a month in the winter for heating.

mvidale66 | 9 years and 3 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4914 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4930 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "193171"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(9) "mvidale66"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BToJWSTvmAOGAD1B1kyF6sNrOxtqBI0"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(9) "mvidale66"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(17) "mvidale66@msn.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 13:47:09"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(47) "mvidale1 Your Last Name mvidale1 Your Last Name"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(193171)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Thanks, bobjohn. Any sense of installation costs for a hot water system?

Master Plvmber | 9 years and 3 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4931 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4929 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(4) "1447"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(14) "Master Plvmber"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BSHLZQSJWUzjnaSv9fyWJpNYjwcz.u."
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(14) "Master Plvmber"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(24) "info@gatewayplumbing.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(30) "http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2007-08-10 20:40:53"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(14) "Master Plvmber"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(1447)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

A good 4-story hydronic system installed from scratch will start at about $50,000.

mvidale66 | 9 years and 3 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4930 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4932 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "193171"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(9) "mvidale66"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BToJWSTvmAOGAD1B1kyF6sNrOxtqBI0"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(9) "mvidale66"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(17) "mvidale66@msn.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2017-08-10 13:47:09"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(47) "mvidale1 Your Last Name mvidale1 Your Last Name"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(193171)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(3) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Great, thanks