Replies

1. 
   user-2310254 | Sep 09, 2020 04:50pm | #1

   Doug,

   I'll give your post a bump.

2. 
   walta100 | Sep 10, 2020 08:49am | #2

   In my mind the electric boiler only makes sense when paired with net metered solar panels sized to power the boiler.

   The mini splits would be a good choice if you need/want cooling.

   I think if you put a fan in a window and used some smoke from incense sticks you could find and seal a lot of leak and do much better than 3.8 ACH

   Walta

1. 
   doug_m_ | Sep 11, 2020 09:28am | #4

   Thanks Walter

3. 
   brp_nh | Sep 10, 2020 10:03am | #3

   I'm (probably) south of you in Jackson, we have a two story 1300+ sq ft "Pretty Good House" that we heat/cool with a single mini split (Mitsubishi FH12NA) on the first floor. There are some temp differences between the floors and rooms, but it generally works well considering it's one fairly small unit. We have wall heaters in bedrooms/bathrooms for backup, but rarely use them (pretty much only if overnight temps expected to hit -20f). I'm just a homeowner that was heavily involved in the build, so I'm not an expert or consultant, so take my advice with that note in mind!

   I would recommend going the mini split route vs the electric boiler because they offer cooling/dehumidification.

   If you primarily heat with wood and add the mini split(s), putting a lot of effort and money into electric baseboard or cove heaters seems overkill. If you feel like you need to do that, I'd look into these 120v plugin wall heaters from Convectair as they're easy to install and easy to take down if not needed:
   https://www.convectair.ca/en/products/120v-plugin/apero

   For mini split sizing and placement, I've often seen advice on GBA that putting a single unit in a bedroom can sometimes be overkill, but maybe Bedroom 1 would be a good candidate for the small Fujitsu unit. The options given to you by the installer may be ok or great, I don't have enough expertise to judge that, but you could consider starting with the 18RLXFWH/ASU18RLF combo in the main area, and then add on after you live with it for a year.

   If possible, I would also recommend mounting the outdoor unit on an elevated pedestal vs on an exterior wall. It's not horrible, but we've found the noise/vibration from the outdoor unit can be annoying when it's working really hard in harsh winter conditions.

4. 
   doug_m_ | Sep 11, 2020 09:34am | #5

   Thanks Brian. Yep - we're a bit farther north. I hadn't seen the convectair heaters, I'll consider those. We will almost certainly do the 18k in the main area, and may do as you say by stopping there for this year to see how it goes. I like the idea of a ducted unit for the bedrooms, but will need to find a decent installer. Thanks for the tip on the pedestal!

5. 
   kyle_r | Sep 13, 2020 05:44pm | #6

   I would suggest going with the 15k, lower modulation without too much difference in capacity.

1. 
   doug_m_ | Sep 15, 2020 08:12pm | #7

   Thank Kyle, I didn’t realize the 15k had better modulation. I’ll look up the specs.

1. 
   Jon_R | Sep 15, 2020 08:30pm | #8

   Note that lower modulation doesn't mean better modulation - it could easily provide lower efficiency and less dehumidification.

1. 
   doug_m_ | Sep 17, 2020 06:18am | #9

   Good point. Thanks Jon.