Is a HEATPUMP a good choice?

[vdotmatrix]

We have a Carrier dual stage 8000ts furnace (125KBtu) with a new A/C 8 seer coil in 2002 for a 2.5-3 ton unit.

Our aging Ruud compressor has seen better days, but we didn't replace this when we got the furnace since it was running at the time 6 years ago.

So it is time to deal with the A/C.

The company who installed the A/C coil back then will come back and install a CARRIER 13 seer compressor and use this coil with the r22 refrigerant... he says everything will be OKAY.

They will stop making r22 units by 2010 but the r22 should still be around for about 35 years. The new stuff is called furon, and so on.

question: should i have a heat pump put in or just replace the aging compressor?

natural gas is $1.25/therm but by winter it will be at $1.85/therm...

the guy said in his shpeel that yu can save money with a heat pumpfor an average month example you'd $20NG furnace alone instead of $7 electricity with a heat pump...cost savings

[pushkins]

I have to say , I'm a convert from a furnace to a heat pump, where we live it's much cheaper to run with electricity than LP ( no natural gas ) and heating needs are outweighed by cooling.
My belief is that it will depend on where you live as this will dictate just how much heat in a winter season you need to produce. Check your local area's cost ratios for how much you pay / KW against your $1.25 - $1.85 / Therm.

[Java_Bob]

I have to say , I'm a convert from a furnace to a heat pump, where we live it's much cheaper to run with electricity than LP ( no natural gas ) and heating needs are outweighed by cooling.
My belief is that it will depend on where you live as this will dictate just how much heat in a winter season you need to produce. Check your local area's cost ratios for how much you pay / KW against your $1.25 - $1.85 / Therm.

Have to agree, a lot depends on your local conditions, price and average temps, a heat pump is not efficient in real cold climates.