Minisplit vs direct-vent gas heater
William Goodwin| Posted inMechanicalson
Lots of stuff about minisplits in the blogs; I’m wondering are direct vent gas heaters are cheaper to install? more expensive to run? My interest is theoretical, but I live in Vt. so AC is not an issue.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
William,
Q. "I'm wondering are direct vent gas heaters are cheaper to install? more expensive to run?"
A. Cheaper to install -- yes. Figure $1,000 to $1,500 to install a gas space heater, versus $3,500 to $5,000 to install a minisplit. Of course, with the minisplit you also get cooling.
Q. Concerning the cost of operation: it depends on your local cost for gas and electricity. Propane is much more expensive than natural gas. To perform the calculation, use this online calculator:
http://www.buildinggreen.com/calc/fuel_cost.cfm
For more information on this issue, seeHeating a Tight, Well-Insulated House.