Ducted Split System / Electronic heating and cooling costs

We are getting a ducted split system / electronic heating and cooling system in our 38sq home.
We have no gas so we are a bit worried it will cost a fortune to run.

4 beds / dinning / living / theatre / rumpus. However we can close off sections easily and only heat certain rooms or areas.

Anyone got one of these? Compared to our old evap unit is it going to cost a fortune?

Compared to an evap cooler it will seem like it'll cost a fortune to run but it's not really an apples to apples comparison as the evap cooler doesn't heat at all as well as not having to power a compressor. Maybe you could offset the usage with some solar.

Thanks,

We are a bit worried about it .

It will also come down to how you use your refrigerated ducted split, like what you set the setpoint to, how often you use it, whether you just run the indoor fan only to circulate air around. Obviously the lower you set your setpoint in cooling or the higher you set it in heating, the harder the system will need to work to reach setpoint and the more it will cost to run.

I personally don't like air conditioning even though that is my trade but due to my daughter having chronic eczema which is exacerbated by the heat, the main living areas and bedrooms are conditioned with high wall splits. I don't need to set the setpoint any more than 24 to be comfortable and when used for heating, it's only for 20 - 30 minutes until the hydronic really gets going and set no higher than 20.

hth

We to are currently building a 38sq of living house. As we do not have natural gas available to us, we have opted for the Actron ESP Platinum Ducted Heating/Cooling. From the research we have done, it seems the most economical to run. The biggest difference to others that make it economical is the multi speed condenser. It does come at a premium price, but compared to installing gas ducted plus a couple of splits systems, it works out nearly the same. We are also installing solar power. The house we are currently in is smaller and runs LPG gas ducted heating. My gas bills are $250 for 2 weeks, it is killing us, can't wait for winter to be over.

Yikes!

What do you do, turn the setpoint up to 25 degrees and run it day and night through winter?

Before the reno/extension, we used gas ducted heating for an average sized 3BR home with 7 outlets off a POS Stadt brand ducted heater. In 7 years apart from 1 questionable bill from the utility which was investigated and rectified, we never saw a bill over $350 bi-monthly and the heater ran from 5pm in the arvo all night until 7am the following morning where it turned off until it started again at 5pm the following day. Even after my daughter was born and my partner had the heater running 24/7 for 4 months straight, we didn't get a bill for more than $500 bi-monthly.

Sorry for going off topic but still picking myself up off the floor.

Yeah tell me about it, I cry every couple of weeks. We are renting while our house is being built. As I said we are on bottled gas, so far more expensive, it runs 24/7 as someone is always home with our toddler, set to a max of 20-21degrees on cold days but turned down to 17degrees overnight. Not sure how well the house is insulated but has high pitched ceiling with floor to ceiling windows and no window coverings, so not the greatest for heating. Even at 21 degrees if I sit and watch tv, I need blanket as the cold radiates from the big windows. I am so over the bills, can't wait for winter to be over. What is worse is that on cold nights like to tonight, it constantly shuts off, comes up with pilot error, technician thinks gas lines are freezing up. AAARRGH

Ah fair enough, that explains it then, didn't realize you were on bottles. Your usage is similar to what mine was previously though we dropped it only to 18 for overnight. We had no insulation in the walls, rollershutters and lacey curtains over windows. I would sometimes return home early to find the house at 12-13 degrees before the heater started on a schedule. Glad to have moved on from that.

If the gas lines are freezing, you might be able to get the lines insulated with pipe insulation and/or wrapped in some trace heating strips. Being it's likely a rental and unsure if you want to outlay anything, the trace heating strips might be off the table as it'd require an electrician at the least or else a fridge mechanic to make up and install.

Hubby s going to Actrol to get some pipe sisalation on Monday as I am over it stopping. Gas stove doesn't even work in this cold weather. Not bothering with landlord, just doing it ourselves and will take it off when we leave. Can't wait for my house to be built.

We've been using split systems in our small house for heating for the past 3 years. It's been costly, but this year we had a gas bayonet added into our lounge room and we're now using a gas heater.

I haven't been able to compare costs yet, but 1 hour of the gas heater in the morning heats the place up beautifully. We'd generally have to run our splits for twice that long to get a similar result...

If you really are comparing costs, do you factor in servicing cost? How often should you get a split system cleaned or serviced anyway?

These guys do air conditioner servicing for split systems in our area.

Anyone got any thoughts on how regularly this should be done or should I just be hosing off the outdoor unit and cleaning the filters myself...

tbh, what you've described, is fine. It's up to you if you'd like someone else to do that for you. Check if blows hot or cold air, note if it doesn't seem as cold or hot and contact someone then. I'm not big on connecting up gauges to get pressure readings annually either as you're essentially going to use a hose length of refrigerant every time and over a period of time will lead to a system that is low on refrigerant.

hth

That Does helps. Thanks Bels

It will not cost you a fortune.

Unlike resistance heat, which uses electric elements to generate heat, a minisplit heat pump (MSHP) moves heat from one location to another using refrigerant, a compressor, heat exchangers, and an expansion valve. During the summer, an MSHP moves heat from inside the building to the outside. During the heating season, the unit operates in reverse, capturing heat from the outside air and moving it into the home. Since the heat source for these units is air, they are commonly referred to as air-source (or air-to-air) heat pumps.

Because ductless MSHPs are point sources of heating and cooling, this often makes them best suited to reducing the energy demands of a central heating system rather than replacing the system entirely. In a new, well-insulated and sealed home, many designers combine heat pumps with strategically located electric resistance heat in bathrooms and other critical areas to avoid the need for a central heating system.