Offered free equipment — Is it a good deal or not?
We are building a near passive house in Upstate NY. For the HVAC system the goal is to get both heating and air conditioning in at least two zones (three is better: living area, master suite, and second floor (offices and guest room)) with a wood stove as backup heat plus an HRV. We’ve been offered an opportunity to get equipment and some installation cost for a system from GTI(Gas Technology Institute)/NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research & Development Authority) that combines a solar thermal system with an air handler which they will compare to a system without the solar thermal. We want hidden units with distributed air since our house is somewhat spread out with our home offices upstairs. Our options so far are:
1) A multi-zone ducted system (MXZ-3B30NA1/SEZ9/SEZ12/SEZ12). Material cost is about $6565 (includes about $1000 on costs for linesets, drains, mounting equipment, etc). Minisplit based system cost (minisplits installed + ducts/access panels+ventilation (includes Panasonic fans, fan venting, kitchen range hood venting, laundry venting, makeup air, and pressure switch on the UltimateAir ERV) + hot water tank (American 40gal direct vented gas hot water tank): $18,500. A concern is with the minimum temperature that it will run, which I think is 5F.
2) Three single ducted systems (SUZ/SEZ9 and 2xSUZ/SEZ12) which is will run down to -5F. This cost would be about $8006 in materials resulting in a total cost with the hot water heater and ventilation system of ~$19,941
3) A ducted hyper-inverter system (PUZ-HA36/ 2PEAD18). This is a new system. It can connect two ducted heads to a single, hyper inverter compressor. These are the super-efficient ones that are rated 100% at 5F and still near 90% at -5F. The drawback is cost and lack of zoning (both ducted systems would act as one zone). It work with one head supplying the master bedroom, kitchen and dining room and the other one supplying the living room and upstairs. Cost for this would be around $9868 in materials. Total cost: $21,030
4) GTI/NYSERDA offer of a solar thermal SUN Equinox (panels by American Solarworks) system, tankless water heater by Noritz 199kBTU, Firstco air handler (24VHBQB) variable speed with an ECM motor (and a dehumidification setting), a Goodman A/C unit (GSX14) 2.5 ton unit plus the same HRV as above. The GTI/NYSERDA system would eliminate the supply ductwork for the HRV and the hot water heater cost. Assuming the HVAC guy’s cost for air conditioning/duct work is $6000, plus 6 man-days of labor and $1000 in materials to help with the installation of the rest of the equipment, the cost of that approach would be around $14,100.
The GTI/NYSERDA system is the least expensive for us (free equipment and some install) and will work at all temperatures but I am concerned about the maintenance of this more complicated system. What is your opinion of our options given we don’t want wall mounted units. I spoke to someone in Ohio who has the GTI/SUN system and likes it because he pays nothing for hot water all summer. Our budget is tight and the four thousand we save with the GTI/NYSERDA system could be used elsewhere.
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Replies
It's your house. Work with your contractors and architects.
Elizabeth,
You have several issues to consider, and the issues are all tangled together at the moment. I suggest that you disentangle them.
I think you should consider three separate questions:
1. What type of space heating and cooling system do I want?
2. What type of mechanical ventilation system do I want?
3. What type of domestic hot water system do I want?
In general, I would be skeptical of the "free" equipment if you end up with a mechanical system that doesn't meet your needs. It isn't worth saving a few thousand dollars if you are burdened with high maintenance costs.
In upstate New York, solar thermal equipment doesn't make much sense -- whether it is used for space heating or domestic hot water. Your region is one of the cloudiest in the Northeast. (Check out an insolation map.)
Finally, you write that "our house is somewhat spread out." If it's not too late -- if you are still at the design stage -- I urge you to do everything you can to create a more compact envelope.
Hi Martin,
Too late to change the plan, it meets our need for a first floor master bedroom. The first three are mini-split systems which we were deciding between and then the NYSERDA opportunity appeared. We want both heat and A/C with at least 2 zones with no units showing and active ventilation for a low load house (22,000 BTU cooling). I would like comments on the options. I have heard negative comments about the performance of the solar thermal. The cost of thermal is not an issue in this case. Which of the above would you recommend to a customer and why?
Thanks
P.S. These are the options presented by my contractor after looking at numerous systems