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Zone 6/7 HVAC setups! Idea thread!

plainsbuilder | Posted in General Questions on

Specs: Climate zone 7, New build residential home, 3100 sq ft, slab on grade ranch, detached garage. 
Above average insulation, wall assembly, air sealing and triple glazed tilt and turn windows. 

Whats your personal take on a great HVAC setup for long term efficiency, comfort and durability?! 

Would love to go the route of a ducted heat pump but have major concerns about winter temps. Thinking about a couple zones of radiant heat in the slab just tapped off the tankless water heater as the backup to a heat pump setup! 

Would love to hear your ideas! Geothermal? Forced air? Baseboard? 

Thanks! 

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
  2. paul_wiedefeld | | #2

    It’s extremely easy and common to incorporate a furnace into a ducted heat pump. It saves you the expense of hydronics and provides cheap backup. Forced air in a well built house is very comfortable when using a well sized, modulating heat pump, and it obviously provides cooling which baseboard cannot. Generally, geothermal is too expensive and not efficient enough to be practical, but it can’t hurt to get a quote.

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