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Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

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Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#171

Post by elil17 »

cosmosisjones wrote: post #85
cmui wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair point, I should do a better job of communicating the unit sizes. Heat pump capacity varies as a function of outdoor temps. A standard unit is rated at 47F but the sizes I'm showing are at 5F (cold climate conditions). Also for this price you get the air quality module which does HEPA, fresh air intake and humidification and a smart thermostat that's designed to fully optimize this heat pump system.

so what about places like Duluth, MN where it can be -20F ambient, then -40F to -50F with a windchill for several weeks of the year?

Windchill doesn't effect, and you can handle small dips below -15 F (like for a couple hours at night) because the house has some thermal mass. However, Duluth, MN is right at the edge of being too cold for this heat pump (99th percentile cold temperature in the coldest month is -15.16 F). If I was in Duluth and was considering a heat pump, I'd want to make sure I had an electric furnace or some space heaters as a backup. However, it would still be worth it to get the heat pump because you'd be able to heat your home much more efficiently/cheaply >99% of the time.

Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#172

Post by buttersbrian »

criddell wrote: post #146

My HVAC is 14 years old so we’re actually planning on replacing it sometime in the next 24 months. I’ve talked to a couple of HVAC companies already because I want more cooling power. When it’s above 100F (which it is for 3+ months of the year) my current system struggles to hold 80F. If we use the oven on a hot day, we may not get the temperature back down for days. Our winters are relatively mild (we don’t get much…

Have you considered assessing your home's insulation?

Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#174

Post by tonyarkles »

Super interesting product! I've been chewing on this idea and market for a while (as a potential customer, primarily) but with a slight twist. Conventional heat pumps tend to fall back to resistive heating as things get colder; where I'm at in Canada, we routinely hit -40C/F in the winter and unfortunately this means that the efficiency is the worst when we need it the most. Your approach with the improved condenser is great but... any thoughts on how it would handle -40F?

Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#176

Post by bartislartfast »

$14,000 is competitive with quotes I've seen for heatpumps. I've been quoted up to €18,000 for a small retrofit.

I would have expected the cost of heatpumps to have fallen as adoption goes up, like solar, but instead the opposite seems to have happened and they're far more expensive now than five years ago.

Any insights into why this is?

Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#178

Post by toast0 »

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #157
toast0 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You probably don't hear much from people who are happy with their heat pumps, because it's boring when it just works. But, the competence required for heat pump sizing depends on the local climate. If you need more heat than the outside unit can gather, you're stuck with fallback heat, which is usually resistance strips, which is expensive. Some thermostats will call for the fallback heat anytime the requested temper…

So the fallback heat issue seems fixable by learning how to operate the equipment properly. That's good to know. Unfortunately, the requirement to keep windows shut and install a ventilation system instead rules out every single place I have ever lived in.

Yeah, if you're accustomed to keeping windows open during the heating season, I think you're going to have a bad time unless you live with a mild climate. Sounds like you're probably on a boiler / radiator system; which probably means you're not in a very mild climate.

You could ask an HVAC company what it would take to be on a heat pump with the windows open, but it's probably going to cost a lot of electricity, and if you build the system for that, when you eventually do decide to close the windows, the system is going to be too big and you'll have comfort issues from that.

Do you have air conditioning? Do you leave the windows open during the cooling season?

Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#179

Post by ukd1 »

ukd1 wrote: post #165
cmui wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's something we'd definitely consider. Is the desire to have thermostat control via any third party? edit - The current plan has been Matter/thread Homekit + Google Home integration. We can expose at least temperature control via this to everyone.

HA user here as well, having a non-locked down API at minimum (i.e. not actively trying to stop folks using it), through to an open and documented api (would be great), through to open firmware (would be best) and or releasing your own integration for HA would likely get you those kinda customers.

Also, I'm in the market for a new AC/heater - so have been looking.

Your specs are in kbtu, but at least for cooling I'm used to tons; I have 2x4.5ton units, and I think that's ~120kbtu, so I wouldn't be able to get just two of your biggest units?

Re: Launch HN: Electric Air (YC W23) – Heat pump sold directly to homeowners

#180

Post by ROTMetro »

cosmosisjones wrote: post #85
cmui wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair point, I should do a better job of communicating the unit sizes. Heat pump capacity varies as a function of outdoor temps. A standard unit is rated at 47F but the sizes I'm showing are at 5F (cold climate conditions). Also for this price you get the air quality module which does HEPA, fresh air intake and humidification and a smart thermostat that's designed to fully optimize this heat pump system.

so what about places like Duluth, MN where it can be -20F ambient, then -40F to -50F with a windchill for several weeks of the year?

Custom ground source heat pump my friend :) side benefit (energy cost) free hot water.
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