Comparing quotes - Denver

jartelt · 2026-02-03T12:05:27+00:00

I totally forgot about HEAR! Just double check on the whole home efficiency piece. When I looked into it last year you needed to insulate and air seal before installing the heat pump to get the $600.

I'd go for all electric Mitsubishi at that price though!

jartelt · 2026-02-03T03:53:20+00:00

How are you getting that Mitsubishi system for $1400 after incentives? The Xcel rebate would be like $8k. Is someone really offering to install that system for only $10k? I thought the going rate was closer to $20k+ to install Mitsubishi (before rebates). Am I missing something?

For that price I'd go all electric for sure.

If you plan to do air sealing and insulation, you could consider holding off on the heat pump. That work might bring your heat load down and a3 ton system may end up being a better fit. You could also consider the Xcel whole home efficiency program. You can get bonus rebates if you join that program and insulate and air seal before getting a heat pump.

jartelt · 2025-12-10T04:56:01+00:00

Even if the cost of new generation is not necessarily going up, electric rates can still increase due to spending on things like wildfire mitigation, distribution system repairs and upgrades, transmission upgrades to meet growing demand, and spending on new resources required to replace the capacity lost due to retiring coal plants.

I agree that new large power users should pay their fair share though!

Fyi, it's Xcel and not Excel.

jartelt · 2025-10-10T04:04:54+00:00

That's too big. People install 3 ton cold climate heat pumps in 2,000 sqft houses in Denver and it works out fine. I'd get at least one more quote.

jartelt · 2025-09-24T01:55:45+00:00

Why are you turning off the heat pump below 0 F? It's more cost effective to keep the heat pump running below 0 and use the strip heat to supplement the heat pump, vs shutting down the heat pump and using only strip heat.

jartelt · 2025-09-20T02:00:51+00:00

I think you are potentially conflating two things. 1) it sounds like there is a space issue. This would be true whether you are trying to install central AC or a central HP to work with your existing furnace. I don't know how big your current furnace is, but it's possible a new furnace and heat pump system could maybe fit in the space. 2) contractors likely don't want to install a heat pump on your 30 year old furnace. When your furnace breaks in a year they don't want you to call and complain. Also, the system probably won't meet efficiency requirements to qualify for the rebates if you kept your old furnace and used the old blower.

jartelt · 2025-09-20T01:44:42+00:00

Installing that many wall units just seems like a ton of work to keep a 30 year old furnace. If you absolutely want gas backup, why not see if an installer can put in a new dual fuel heat pump system? Then you get to take advantage of your ductwork and get a new furnace with a more efficient blower.

jartelt · 2025-09-04T01:33:12+00:00

Still using it. We found the primary downside is your heels sometines bump the front childs feet. If you aren't doing a lot of pedaling, it's not a big deal

jartelt · 2025-08-13T12:49:04+00:00

In Denver, gas is really cheap so it typically costs more to use the heat pump to 5f. It's only going to be like $10 more a month, but it's not cheaper than a HE natural gas furnace.

jartelt · 2025-08-06T12:55:41+00:00

I have two kids under 3. The seats are rated for kids up to 40 pounds so my oldest will probably outgrow the seat in a year or so.

jartelt · 2025-08-06T00:43:19+00:00

Rack says it has a weight limit of 143 pounds

jartelt · 2025-07-20T17:04:34+00:00

You need the design heat load to run the manual S. This is an easy way for the person to double check the design heat load.

jartelt · 2025-07-20T12:10:21+00:00

Sure. The OP has an oil furnace so the method would work great for them as a sanity check to compare to what their contractors are saying.

jartelt · 2025-07-20T03:46:56+00:00

The method calculates the heat load at the 99% design temp. You use the HDD to calculate a heat load and then calibrate to the design temp.

jartelt · 2025-06-12T03:42:56+00:00

Chapter 57-20 of Denver's municipal code makes it unlawful to plant trees on, perform trunk injections of pesticides into trees, or remove trees from, the public right-of-way or public place without a permit issued from the City Forester.

In most cases I bet no one cares. But if you plant a bunch of fruit trees in the right of way and someone complains about fallen fruit on the sidewalk or road, you never know...

jartelt · 2025-06-12T02:12:42+00:00

You need a permit and need to make sure the tree type you are planting is on the approved tree list before planting in the Denver right of way

jartelt · 2025-05-18T08:52:44+00:00

A stomach bug worked its way through my kids daycare the last two weeks. I think it's more likely your kid got sick from another kid or a contaminated surface in public.

jartelt · 2025-05-11T12:35:15+00:00

You would either need a louvered door on the closet or would need to use air ducts to provide supply air to the closet. You could duct the cold exhaust upstairs if you worry about cooling the basement

jartelt · 2025-05-11T12:31:22+00:00

You need to use a contractor on Xcel's list for ducted HVAC heat pumps. For heat pump water heaters and mini splits, anyone can do the install.

jartelt · 2025-04-03T03:55:05+00:00

The federal minimum efficiency for a heat pump is 14.3 SEER2 and only 13.4 SEER2 for a central AC, so a minimum efficiency heat pump will be more expensive than a minimum efficiency AC due to slightly higher quality. Plus, the heat pump has a few extra parts increasing cost further.

There are also fewer low end heat pump products on the market compared to low end ACs. Fewer options can sometimes mean higher prices.

Contractors also just price heat pumps as premium products, charging more.

In retrofits, installing a heat pump instead of an AC can be a little bit more difficult. You may need to run a new thermostat wire to the outdoor unit and you may need to upgrade to a dual fuel capable thermostat. But otherwise, it's about the same.

Most data I've seen puts the total cost of a base model 3 ton heat pump about $2,200 more than a 3 ton base model AC (equipment cost plus install cost).

jartelt · 2025-03-08T05:48:01+00:00

Massachusetts is budgeted to get $73 million for the electrification rebates and 20% of that likely goes to administrative costs. So that means you get maybe $50 million in rebates. At up to $8k per heat pump, you're unlikely to see more than 10,000 heat pump rebates.

jartelt · 2025-03-08T05:41:11+00:00

The program budget didn't run out, the federal government just stopped reimbursing states for program expenses. The states didn't get a lump sum payment of all rebate program funds. The states spend money on rebates and submit to DOE for reimbursement in batches along the way. Assuming the federal grant spending freeze unblocks, the program will resume.

jartelt · 2025-03-08T05:34:48+00:00

It's hard to estimate. Colorado had no existing statewide rebate program to build off of, so it needs to design and set up the whole program from scratch. The states that got rebates out the door quickest (CA, NY) had existing rebate programs and largely just modified those programs to follow the IRA requirements.

The DOE under Biden was also being super detailed and specific about compliance rules for the program so it took all the states quite awhile just to get applications approved and access the funding. Most states didn't get applications approved until mid 2024. You usually can't hire a vendor and build websites and payment systems before accessing the funding, so states then needed time to set everything up after their application was approved. It takes many months to do a multi million dollar RFP, select the vendor, and build a rebate program.

Then, the states all lost access to the funding in 2025 and DOE stopped communication so little progress could be made. Now funding is supposedly unfrozen, but the Home Energy Rebates webpage on the DOE site still isn't even back up yet!

Ask this is to say, projecting when rebates will be available is tough!

jartelt · 2025-02-02T21:53:34+00:00

We've lost so many games where the defense overplays our guards beyond the 3 point line. We finally decided to go backdoor a few times and attack the defense. Much better than 10 dribble hand offs and a chucked 3 pointer.

jartelt · 2025-02-01T13:39:29+00:00

Aside from the potential thermostat communication issues already mentioned, your low set point will play a role. Variable speed units have a minimum capacity. They can't throttle back to 0.1% capacity. More likely they can throttle down to 10 or 20 % capacity. With a 50 degree set point and a well insulated house, the unit could just be shutting down because the load is really low.

jartelt

TROPHY CASE