In late December 2025, my natural gas HVAC system gave up with a cracked heat exchanger. The replacement of this unit had been on my radar for years in my transition away from fossil fuels and was the final puzzle piece in my journey to a net-zero energy home. Previous work included replacing my gas water heater with a hybrid electric one, remodeling the kitchen (including removing the gas range), and installing 6.5kW of solar panels.
So, without a working HVAC, I went to Menards and purchased a bunch of space heaters. My house is relatively small and somewhat well-insulated. I figured I could even make it through the Cincinnati winter before needing to replace the HVAC system with a cold-climate heat pump. No need to rush and pay an “emergency” purchase and installation fee. With the natural gas line now completely off (yes, I called Duke and permanently ended my gas service), I wanted to get the gas line capped. I figured I’d go ahead and hire HVAC professionals to cap the gas and have my broken outdoor A/C condenser removed.
I have spent years researching cold-climate heat pumps. Over the last few years, I have also talked with numerous HVAC companies and received quotes to install a heat pump. However, despite all my internet searching and talking with local companies, I could not find anyone who carried the newest cold-climate heat pumps and would complete the installation at a reasonable price. The standard quote was for ~$15,000 to install a unit that had WORSE performance specifications than a unit I could buy for $3,000 (uninstalled).
THIS HAS DRIVEN ME CRAZY FOR YEARS.
Being a DIY person, I figured I would do it myself, and I had even trained and received my EPA 608 certification for dealing with refrigerants and started collecting specialized equipment. I was not in a hurry because I was hoping that Ohio would move forward with the HEAR (Home Energy and Appliance Rebates) Department of Energy rebates that might pay up to $14,000 in doing a gas to electric heat pump transition. These rebates are different from the long-existing 30% efficiency rebates and could pay for the full cost of this transition for low to moderate-income homes.
In looking for an HVAC company to cap my gas line, I came across Turner On Services, who suggested I buy the unit myself and let them install it at a reasonable price. This is what I did. This electrical service and HVAC company grew from a couple of guys leaving a major contracting company to start their own contract agency. They know HVAC and electric service but did not have experience with the cold-climate heat pump I was installing. My preparation and knowledge helped bridge the gap to complete this installation.
Since I knew years ago the specific unit I wanted to install and what it would take, I had done preparatory work during those projects. This included having correct electric circuits available, ensuring physical fit, and understanding the required ducting work. I had also painstakingly reviewed the installation manuals for the new unit. These units are wired (power and controls) differently than standard HVAC systems. And I knew it was critical to get this right.
Ultimately, I would have struggled to do this as a DIY project. But, I was also struggling to find a local HVAC company in the Cincinnati area to complete this project. My knowledge, matched with an open-minded install crew, was critical to making this work out well.
Heat Pump Performance: Equivalent to a hair dryer!
As of this writing, the new heat pump has only been running for a few days. So far, its performance seems OUTSTANDING! I am well on my way to my goal of creating a “net-zero energy” home. Time will give the final analysis.
As an example of the current unit’s performance, I put together the following infographic. It tries to capture the key performance characteristics from one night when the temperature was cold and fairly steady.
- The outside temperature was pretty steady ranging from 15-19℉ and calm.
- My inside thermostat was set at 71℉.
- The average power required to run the unit was about 1.2 kWatt, a bit less than a hair drying on HIGH.
1 kWatt. Roughly equivalent to running a hair dryer ON MEDIUM HEAT!Additional analysis was done.
Although I have tried to improve my home insulation, the walls are still not very insulating. So even with the thermostat set at 71℉ , that is not indicative of the whole house. For example, I have a kitchen nook that sits out off the basement and has windows on all three sides making it always colder and at 65℉ in this instance.
Cost for a month of Heat?
If we extrapolate this performance to an entire month, what would it cost to heat my house with electric power? The math is simple: power 1.2kW for 24 hours for 31 days at $0.14/kWh.
1.2 kW * 24 hours/day * 31 days * $0.14 per kWh = $125
So, it costs about $125 to heat my small house to 71℉ for a very cold month. But that is a pretty extreme month, where the outside temperature averages 18℉. The actual average temperature in Cincinnati in January is about 35℉.
This almost seems too good to be true. This system extracts heat from very cold air. The stated COP (coefficient of performance) under these conditions is about 2.5.
I did some additional calculations to estimate the actual COP during these first 3 days of operation. It is a somewhat detailed analysis looking at the hourly temperatures and energy required to maintain the indoor temperature. I used the prior 2 days as a baseline where I was heating with space heaters spread around my home. This analysis, while rough, did result in an effective COP of 2.7.
The COP includes the necessary defrost cycles to prevent the outdoor unit from frosting up. This means that this average power of 1.2kW delivers the equivalent of 3.24kW of heating. That is 11,050 BTU/hr (normal heating units).
It is early on, but so far, I’m extremely pleased with the performance…
Update for the first 5 full days of operation
It was very cold Friday (average ~18 ℉), followed by some warmer weather, but still very cold. The heat pump energy usage directly corresponds to the temperature. The warmest day was Tuesday, with an average of around 40 ℉. The energy used on this relatively warm day was about half of the energy used on that cold Friday.
These days were also very sunny, which really helps with heating via the solar heat gain of the sun’s rays coming into the house and also heating the outside brick exterior. This house has a block and brick construction, which yields a large thermal mass. This thermal storage can impact any analysis of “heat load,” especially when looking at short periods. The heat (or lack of heat) can affect heating for over 24 hours.
| Date | Temperature Range | Heating Energy |
| Friday, 1/24 | 12-27 ℉ | 27 kWh |
| Saturday, 1/25 | 14-41 ℉ | 21 kWh |
| Sunday, 1/26 | 21-39 ℉ | 17 kWh |
| Monday, 1/27 | 16-39 ℉ | 19 kWh |
| Tuesday, 1/28 | 30-48 ℉ | 14 kWh |
Less than $100 of electric for a cold month?
Extrapolating similar to the previous 2-day analysis, this average daily heating energy requirement of 19.6 kWh/day would result in a full month of energy use of 607 kWh. At $0.14/kWh, this is about $85 for the month. And this could still be a high number because this was still below average temperatures.