Minisplit vs direct-vent gas heater
mrbreadpuddin
| Posted in Mechanicals on
Lots of stuff about minisplits in the blogs; I’m wondering are direct vent gas heaters are cheaper to install? more expensive to run? My interest is theoretical, but I live in Vt. so AC is not an issue.
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Replies
William,
Q. "I'm wondering are direct vent gas heaters are cheaper to install? more expensive to run?"
A. Cheaper to install -- yes. Figure $1,000 to $1,500 to install a gas space heater, versus $3,500 to $5,000 to install a minisplit. Of course, with the minisplit you also get cooling.
Q. Concerning the cost of operation: it depends on your local cost for gas and electricity. Propane is much more expensive than natural gas. To perform the calculation, use this online calculator:
http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm
For more information on this issue, see Heating a Tight, Well-Insulated House.