I'm looking for advice on which heating system to buy. We have a new (installed August of 2019) 15x30x4 AGP in Southeast Lower Michigan. I'm familiar with geothermal (heat pumps), it's how I heat my house. We don't have Natural Gas available. Anyone who has had both systems and can offer a comparison and advice would be greatly appreciated. If you had it to do over, which would you go with, and why? I should expect to get 15-20 years out of my pool (hopefully more) My questions for comparison are:
BTUs:
We're seniors and like a warmer pool, like around 85*. (I believe) Gas heats a pool up about 4-5x faster than a heat pump. Will getting a higher BTU heat pump narrow that gap, or is it a waste of the extra money? Will a Heat Pump be able to keep up and extend the season in my climate without supplemental resistive heating coil use? (I do use a solar cover when not in use and over-night most of the time)
How many BTUs are recommended for my pool for either system? I would think it's the same number but I'm not sure.
Maintenance:
Which one has lower maintenance cost overall? Does one wear out faster than the other? Either would be on a concrete slab, open to the elements but covered during the winter.
Operating cost:
1 - Propane. Given the climate we live in, keeping the water temp around 85*, how much fuel should I expect to burn /month or /season? If I go with Propane, I don't really want a big ol' fat pig in my yard, but I wouldn't want to have to refill the tank every month (week) either.
1 - Heat Pump. How much should I expect my electric bill to jump /month, Spring, Summer and Fall? I'm guessing for both systems, in the heat of the summer, the cost goes down?
2 - Then Ultimately... What is the cost benefit between Propane and Heat Pump? Propane is cheaper to install, heats up faster, but fuel cost is greater. Heat Pumps are more expensive, takes longer to heat, but costs less to run. Is there a significant overall cost benefit for a heat pump or is it just the illusion of "I'm doing a good thing for the environment!"?
In the end, I want to have the most efficient, cost effective, operationally effective system I can afford! (who doesn't, right?)
I'm leaning toward the heat pump system, but I don't want to be disappointed with it's performance and overall cost benefit. If it can't warm up the pool sooner and keep it warm longer, are the savings really worth it?
Thanks!
BTUs:
We're seniors and like a warmer pool, like around 85*. (I believe) Gas heats a pool up about 4-5x faster than a heat pump. Will getting a higher BTU heat pump narrow that gap, or is it a waste of the extra money? Will a Heat Pump be able to keep up and extend the season in my climate without supplemental resistive heating coil use? (I do use a solar cover when not in use and over-night most of the time)
How many BTUs are recommended for my pool for either system? I would think it's the same number but I'm not sure.
Maintenance:
Which one has lower maintenance cost overall? Does one wear out faster than the other? Either would be on a concrete slab, open to the elements but covered during the winter.
Operating cost:
1 - Propane. Given the climate we live in, keeping the water temp around 85*, how much fuel should I expect to burn /month or /season? If I go with Propane, I don't really want a big ol' fat pig in my yard, but I wouldn't want to have to refill the tank every month (week) either.
1 - Heat Pump. How much should I expect my electric bill to jump /month, Spring, Summer and Fall? I'm guessing for both systems, in the heat of the summer, the cost goes down?
2 - Then Ultimately... What is the cost benefit between Propane and Heat Pump? Propane is cheaper to install, heats up faster, but fuel cost is greater. Heat Pumps are more expensive, takes longer to heat, but costs less to run. Is there a significant overall cost benefit for a heat pump or is it just the illusion of "I'm doing a good thing for the environment!"?
In the end, I want to have the most efficient, cost effective, operationally effective system I can afford! (who doesn't, right?)
I'm leaning toward the heat pump system, but I don't want to be disappointed with it's performance and overall cost benefit. If it can't warm up the pool sooner and keep it warm longer, are the savings really worth it?
Thanks!
