Building house soon, Want wood furnace and heatpump...can it be done?

[BoilerMan]

150K is not a low cost build for that sixe IMHO. I built 3200 sqft for <150K material only, all my labor. You can double frame 2x4 walls on a 2x8 plate and blow in the walls, very low thermal loss. Consider Roxul if you have not, I'll never use fiberglass again! Remember sheet goods are the only way to effectively seal a house (plastic rolls, sheets of foam taped at joints etc.) Check out GreenBuilder and BuildItSolar they both have great reading on how to properly seal/build building envelopes and how to vent, the vast majority of builders/tradespeople have no clue how to properly do thiese things. Also there are great tips on how to save on framing costs and economy use of lumber elsewhere. You can only do these steps once, many mistakes have/are still, made and tons of research has been done on this subject................read up!

You can change that kitchen/bathroom many times, but the building envelope and structure are only once, spend the money where it pays you back every year.

TS

 

[BoilerMan]

FWIW, forced scorched air is a total No-Go for me. From what I've seen it's only done because it's cheap. A/C is one thing, heating another.

Panel radiators, reclaimed Cast Iron radiators, and high mass radiant, are the only way to heat. All low temp emitters save huge on any type of heating system.

TS

 

[STIHLY DAN]

A multi city will be cheaper than 20 grand, then get a Woodstock. When power goes out you can heat and cook. When you have power that heat pump works to -13 and is zoned to every rm. It really is a no brainer.

 

[maple1]

What's a multi city?

 

[Bob Rohr]

What's a multi city?

I'd look at some type of parlor boiler, maybe with a HX for DHW. Spend the money on a tight shell and you will need very little heat energy to stay comfortable.

Wood fired forced air make me nervous, a crack in the HX, from a power outage over-heating condition, can allow CO into the entire building. My sister in law has one and I insisted on low level CO detectors around the home.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

What's a multi city?

A muti city is a Mitsubishi heat pump. You can have many heads (small wall mount air handlers) to just one condenser. It is modulating so it only makes the heat or cool load you need. Very quite too.

 

[Floydian]

A muti city is a Mitsubishi heat pump. You can have many heads (small wall mount air handlers) to just one condenser. It is modulating so it only makes the heat or cool load you need. Very quite too

Take a close look at the specs though. The Mitsu hyper heat models are only available as one indoor unit to one outdoor unit. Same with the more efficient Fujitsu models. These are the units that can deliver rated output down to sub zero temps. The multi split's output really drops off when real cold temps set in and efficiency goes down as well.

Noah

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Take a close look at the specs though. The Mitsu hyper heat models are only available as one indoor unit to one outdoor unit. Same with the more efficient Fujitsu models. These are the units that can deliver rated output down to sub zero temps. The multi split's output really drops off when real cold temps set in and efficiency goes down as well.

Noah

This is true. but with a stove also, this should not happen unless they take a break. They are good down to 5* if I remember correctly. At his location this should not happen to often during the day. This was said with help of the stove running close to full time.

 

[Floydian]

This is true. but with a stove also, this should not happen unless they take a break. They are good down to 5* if I remember correctly. At his location this should not happen to often during the day. This was said with help of the stove running close to full time.

Yeah, you are right, the wood stove is key with a multi split set up. I just like the idea that a mini split could the cover the heat load at design temp with a wood stove being optional instead of necessary.

Noah

 

[slowzuki]

Woodburner doesn't need the bigger ducts, the heat pump does. If you have a heat pump with too small of ducts you can get around but then you pay extra in electricity. The wood burner has high temps, it doesn't need much to move lots of btu's.

Since you need an HRV up here anyways you can use split heat pumps to get more zones of temp control and not get that stuffy feeling as the HRV will be circulating air in the house while bringing in fresh air. Just an option if ducts are a problem such as a slab on grade house. Air handler and conventional heat pump is a tiny bit more future proof of changing heat sources. Splits you won't have duct work for other heat types or wiring suitable for baseboards.

150,000$ for 1620 ft2 in NB contracted yourself, you must have a basement, garage and some nicer finishes? If you are looking to control some costs I might have some ideas. A friend has been his own general on 4 houses in 5 years now ranging from 1300 to 2000 ft2 and I don't think they were over 130k. He worked hard to get his kitchens/bathrooms costs down, he used to be a dealer and knows how much markup there is on cabinets. If you haven't built before or aren't familiar some simple detail changes can cut a lot of costs. The last set of trusses I had quoted 2 ways, first set was double the price of second set, very minor differences.

Another friend built his retirement home, all very high end stuff but had a few tricks to save $. My favorite is a large walkin pantry in his kitchen. Basic shelving inside costs nothing compared to the cherry cabinets his father built him for the kitchen itself. Kitchen stays very clean as there is all kinds of space in the pantry including counters for the toaster and other counter top appliances that clutter up the counters.

No need to upsize ducting. Just normal size ducting to and from wood burner.