New to this forum, first post, so please bear with me. Took some forum advice from here last year on toilets and it was fantastic!
Background: we have an old (1939) home, technically 1-level but it has a fully finished full-height basement. It's our first home. We're using oil, and there were some electric baseboard heaters installed in the basement as well. We're on Vancouver Island, which is one of the most temperate regions of Canada (temperatures almost never go below freezing).
Our furnace just quit working, and while I plan to get it fixed, oil is expensive. I'm a bit geeky, and I've heard some good things about ductless heat pumps being installed in the Northwest (of America). It does get hot here in the summer, so the possibility of air conditioning is attractive, too.
Is this a feasible solution to heat the main level of our house. It's about 1000 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 dining room. Additional living room has an electric fireplace. We have upgraded electricity - 200 amps including a 100 amp sub-panel.
I've called several contractors about this but none of them know what a ductless heat pump is, or they don't get back to me. I'm also scared of the prices they may quote - the equipment SEEMS to be readily available in the US and I'm handy.
Any and all advice/comments appreciated. Thanks in advance, and happy holidays!
Background: we have an old (1939) home, technically 1-level but it has a fully finished full-height basement. It's our first home. We're using oil, and there were some electric baseboard heaters installed in the basement as well. We're on Vancouver Island, which is one of the most temperate regions of Canada (temperatures almost never go below freezing).
Our furnace just quit working, and while I plan to get it fixed, oil is expensive. I'm a bit geeky, and I've heard some good things about ductless heat pumps being installed in the Northwest (of America). It does get hot here in the summer, so the possibility of air conditioning is attractive, too.
Is this a feasible solution to heat the main level of our house. It's about 1000 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 dining room. Additional living room has an electric fireplace. We have upgraded electricity - 200 amps including a 100 amp sub-panel.
I've called several contractors about this but none of them know what a ductless heat pump is, or they don't get back to me. I'm also scared of the prices they may quote - the equipment SEEMS to be readily available in the US and I'm handy.
Any and all advice/comments appreciated. Thanks in advance, and happy holidays!