Questions & Answers
1. Q.) Why isn’t the electrical (panel) upgrade included in the estimate?
A.) Westchester requires a licensed electrician, we do not have one in house.
Q.) Is your team willing/able to install and if so what will it cost?
A.) We would bring in a licensed electrician that we work with depending on scheduling
Q.)..If not do I need to bring in my own electrician? (I have some electrician friends who can do so – I’ll just need the specifics on what must be done.)
A.) If you (Peter ) have an electrician you’re comfortable with, this would be the best bet for you. We will provide the electrician with the electrical specs.
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2. Q.) Regarding the hot water tank the electrical cost to run it is extremely low (est. $110/yr) and thus I don’t see much benefit in preheating it from the WF buffer tank. Do you agree and if so what would be the cost savings in skipping that step? (Note that I would still like your team to pipe it in.)
A.)This decision would be up to you (Peter). The heat pump water heaters do have a low operating cost, but they also have a slower recovery time, especially if only running in heat pump mode without the electric elements engaged. This means that multiple back to back showers, or filling up a large jacuzzi tub would run the tank low if not out, and it will take a while to get back up to temp. It will be a different experience than what you are currently used to. This may not be an issue for you if you understand and keeps hot water usage spaced out. The buffer tank will definitely help the duration and recovery of the water heater. I am waiting to hear back from Amanda with the cost of the desuperheater but ball park savings would probably be between $1500 and $2000.
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3. Q.) Can you provide some granularity on costs e.g. what’s the cost of the WaterFurnance unit other materials cost to install the water heater cost for drilling etc. Don’t need to go too deep but it would be helpful e.g. if setting up the water heater is expensive that’s perhaps a project I can take on myself.
A.)The water heater piping is not much, in fact, since we were going to be installing the buffer tank, we would be capping off the boiler hot water coil anyway, and tie the domestic water into the buffer tank, so we were throwing in the heat pump piping for no extra charge.
A “not too deep” cost break down: equipment and material cost @ $18,000, Drilling, excavation, ground loop material and labor @ $20,000, and the rest is installation labor.
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4. Q.) Can you explain some of the items not included specifically: voltage and temporary climate control?
A.) All of the divisions at American have faced certain complications, and at some points, Homeowner/contractor miscommunication. Normal occurrences in the industry, so we have sort of a “blanket” exclusion section in all of our proposals. Some may pertain to the specific job, but others may not. Its just to protect our company. Line voltage in this situation is pertaining to the electric upgrade and wiring of the equipment, which we are not licensed to handle in Westchester. We will do the low voltage wiring for thermostats and zoning. In many instances we have to shut down, dismantle or remove existing equipment, temporarily leaving the house without heat or air conditioning. In this case we would be removing the air handler in the attic, so there will be a period of time that Peter will not have A/C or heat. We do always plan to keep this timeframe to an absolute minimum, but it is a necessary step. We are not responsible for providing a temporary replacement system, that is left to the homeowners discretion.
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5. Q.) The proposal mentions that a third must be paid up front and other third when the work begins but I plan to finance it… thus how will this work? Do you need anything from me out of pocket up front?
A.) The bank takes over paying the contractor – as each phase of the process progresses the bank has a document you “sign” thereby releasing the funds to American Heating and Cooling. There is no out of pocket costs for you
Cooling
Air Conditioning Installation
Air Conditioning Maintenance
Air Conditionaing Service
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