Air & Water-to-air Heat Pump, Fredericton

System

Water:Air-to-air heat pump with water-to-air heat pump as backup.

Efficiency: R2000 home, high-e windows

Cost: $10,000 for air-to-air, $3000 for water-to-air pump addition O&M none

Date of Installation: air-to-air heat pump installed in 2008, water-to-air in 2009

Type/kind: residential (2 occupants)

Installer: self installation

Supplier: Goodman Air Conditioning & Heating

Experience: Very good overall

Results: Water-to-air addition improves efficiency greatly

Description of Case Study: An air-to-air heatpump(with electric element backup) was installed as part of the construction of this new home, in 2008. The owner proceeded to replace the electric as a backup by using water-to-air to improve the efficiency of the system. The addition draws water from their deep well, runs it through the heat pump and dumps the water into a shallow well, so as to recharge the aquifer, creating an open loop system.

The water-to-air addition takes over for the air-to-air component when the temperature dips below -10 Celsius. This temperature will be slowly raised, as the water-to-air system is more energy efficient. Where monthly electricity costs for electric air heating are ~$380, for air-to-air it is ~$300, and for water-to-air it is under $200, once the water-to-air system is fully engaged.