How much should it cost to add AC to the price of a propane furnace with full install? I’m being quoted an additional 50% for the AC. Sound fair?
Also, how much propane does a house use to cool it in summer months, compared to heating it in winter? I know it depends on climate. Here in Ohio, we’re not bringing the temp down nearly as far in summer as we are raising it in winter, so I’m assuming the AC energy usage is much less than heating.
A propane-powered AC unit? Are you sure?
I’m with yoyo are you sure?
There are gas-fueled refrigerators but AFAIK they are decades out of date except for special uses.
Do you mean adding regular, electric central AC to a furnace system? That’s fairly conventional and if you need/want central AC, it’s generally cheaper to install it all at once rather than retrofit later.
The additional cost of electric AC to our ducted gas furnace installation (all new, all done at the same time) was almost double ($11,000 vs $6,000). If you have an existing furnace it may be more than that with additional ductwork modifications, upgrade of power supply, etc.
They do make propane, lpg, natural gas fired AC units, where a small gas engine drives the AC compressor (e.g. Yanmar - very popular in Japan). Advantageous where gas costs are much cheaper than electricity or if your existing electrical supply is insufficient for the AC and the additional cost of upgrading your electrical supply is prohibitive. However, I don’t think they’re very common in the US.
NB
50%?
Did you mean an additional 50% on top of the quote for the furnace, or that the A/C was 50% of the total quote, for the furnace and A/C combined?
A common breakdown would be 50% for the furnace and 50% for the A/C—give or take. Many times it’s 55% A/C and 45% furnace or so.
It varies.
ETA
While propane A/C units exist, they are exceptionally uncommon here, and I suspect you’re a little turned around.
The A/C unit will be electric.
If it’s a replacement installation of existing hot-air furnace only with no major expense put into ducting, registers etc. it will usually run about 55-60% AC. Replacing a heat/AC system runs a little closer to 50-50. A completely new installation with retrofit ducting usually runs 25% ducting (assuming normal installation difficulty) and about 40% AC, 35% furnace.
So very roughly, figure AC is half of the price, or doubles the cost of a furnace-only replacement.
I would expect AC and Heat about double of Heat only.
Yea, that’s pretty common.
It often depends on the product mix they choose. If they choose a 96, or 98% furnace with a 13 SEER A/C it might be be skewed toward heating.
It ranges, IME, from 50/50 to 60/40 (or more) in favor of A/C.
FWIW, my dad’s parents lived ‘off the grid’ into the 1990s. They had a generator for lights when it got dark (backed up by 12v lights that ran off the batteries the generator charged), two Servel gas refrigerators, and a Servel gas freezer. A very large propane tank fed the Servels and the gas stove. (They also had a wood-burning stove that saw daily use.) They were about 14 miles from Applegate, Oregon, and I think the electricity stopped at about half that distance.