#AskDerekCole Episode 74: Split or Package Unit

On this episode, I'm answering— on this episode, I'm answering live questions from the audience. You ask your comfort and energy questions and they get answered. This is the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Hey, it's Derrick Cole. Welcome to episode 74. Yes, 74 of the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm wearing green in celebration. I'm one of the few people in the office wearing green, so it's a little weird, but we're going to go with it. So we have some good questions today. We're going to have some live interaction. Be a little different than usual, but let's roll.

Which one is better, package unit or Split unit.

Package or splits? Let me go backwards a little bit. Let's talk about why package units are here. Where we live at, there is very small spaces in the crawl space. You can get a duck under it, but you can't get a unit under it. Therefore, we have gone to a package unit. We as in society.— not we as in personally, but a package unit is designed for a rooftop commercial application. Okay, it's not— it wasn't designed with a residential application in mind. That makes sense. So we have taken it off of the roof onto the ground because we have very small crawl spaces in this part of the country. So the manufacturer gives you a 10-year parts warranty on that package unit if it's residential, right? When you go to a split, if you go to a higher SEER, they'll give you a 10-year partial warranty, a lifetime compressor warranty, a 10-year no-limite warranty with a split. So I'm asking you, what would you think would be better just by judging from warranty standpoint? The split. The split. So the manufacturer is saying, hey, the split unit is the best application. We'll give you more of a warranty with a split unit. Than with a package unit. That make sense? So where a package unit or a split unit will not fit, obviously a package unit is in that spot. Package units are easier to install. That's why you see a lot more when, um, younger companies— I'll say that— or younger individuals, they want to go back with the package unit versus the split. They just split it out and go with the package unit because it's just an easier install. It's all in one package, it's all in one application. There is no line set to run. There is no veins and arteries to run from one piece to the next piece. There is no solder. There is no putting the lines together. So the package unit is easier to install, theoretically, but the split unit, per the manufacturer, don't even take my word for it, just take the manufacturer's word for it. Is a more efficient, better operation because they give you that better warranty. Right? Cool? What else you got?

What's the difference between a package unit and a gas pack since both are warm?

A package heat pump? Yeah. Versus a gas pack? Fuel source. So one is running off a gas for heating They both in the cooling season are running off of electricity, but on heating season, one's running off electricity, the heat pump, one's running off of gas, the gas pack. So it depends on fuel source. Now it's running in heat pump and then has a backup electric heat for the pump. Uh, gas is a hotter heat in general, so you don't have that backup in place because you don't need it, because you can have that 110, 120 degrees coming out the grill heat versus a heat pump, which is probably more like 98, maybe even 100 coming out the grill. So that's another reason why the older clients, when they look at going away from gas to electricity, we say you probably don't want to because all your life you've had that hot gas heat, and to go from that heat to a heat pump heat or electric heat is a different feeling. It will satisfy the thermostat, but it won't satisfy you as in what you're used to, because we are 98 degrees. So you put your hand over the grill and you got 95, 98-degree air coming out, you're like, that's kind of cool, versus 120-degree air where it's really hot to the touch. It's doing the same thing It's just a different feeling. So if you got a client that is really, you know, for the last 40 years had a gas and then switch them over to a heat pump, you're going to have comfort problems. Comfort is in, it feels drafty, it feels a little chilly, feels cold. Even though it's the same temperature on the thermostat, it's 75 degrees and it's maintaining, it's a different feel. I don't even think that was your question, but does that make sense? Right. Do you want to go? Yeah. What? Okay, so you had some follow-ups. That's why I want to do it. Okay. That's why I want to do it kind of live, because she had some follow-ups at the questions.

So, um, what was I trying to say? So does it— since the package heat pump runs with electricity compared to the gas pack, does it mean when I have a package heat pump, my bill might be higher than with a gas pack? That makes sense.

Yeah, it makes sense. It depends on your set point. You're going to have an electric bill and a gas bill with a gas pack. So if you use a lot of gas, that bill will be here. If you have a heat pump and you like it at 78 when it's 25 degrees outside, that's going to be higher. So you're really going to have 2 different bills if you have a gas pack and one bill if you have a heat pump. So gas pack, gas bill, electric bill, heat pump, just electric. So it kind of depends on which one's going to be higher as to where your comfort is. If you like it 68 in the wintertime, cool. If you like it at 78, you probably need gas because it is— and depends on the climate too. I mean, it depends on your comfort and the climate and what's available. If you have natural gas at your house, In my opinion, there is no reason you shouldn't have a gas unit, gas appliances, because natural gas is the cheapest way to heat or run that appliance. Make sense? But in my situation, in my house, I don't have natural gas. So if I wanted gas, it'd be propane. I know propane is a little more natural gas, and it's a lot more corrosive in nature than natural gas because it's a man-made product. So therefore, I'm sticking with electricity. That answer a little bit? So all in all, all in all, if you don't have power, nothing is going to work. So even if you have a gas pack and you use gas heat, you still have to have electricity to run the motors.

So all in all, it's The best solution would be a split unit if you want to have all the warranties.

In my opinion, the perfect application would be you have natural gas, you go with the dual fuel split zoned system. That would be like the optimal situation. That way you switch from heat pump to gas when it gets really cold and it's not efficient to run heat pump anymore. It's now more efficient to run gas at, you know, be 40 or 35 degrees outside, whatever the balance point is. That would be the perfect situation. And then you can— you're basically switching as to what is more efficient. It's more efficient to run electricity as the heat source when it's 45 or 50 than it is to run gas in that situation. So that would be the optimal situation because With that furnace, you're going to get a lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger. You're going to get a 10-year no-lemmon warranty on the furnace. You can get a 10-year parts warranty. And then you go outside and get a 10-year no-lemmon warranty, a lifetime compressor warranty, 10-year warranty on the parts. That would be the perfect.

So your unit automatically knows when to switch?

Yeah. Because I have natural gas. Right. But you have a standard gas pack. I do. Yeah, so it's not going to switch. There's nothing to switch to.

Oh, gotcha.

It's either gas or no heat. Now, if you had a dual fuel package unit, it would switch from heat pump to gas pack. That's the best of both worlds. Yeah, so that's how you want to roll.

But I don't roll like that.

I've been to quite a few houses where I've gone behind other contractors and they said, hey, let's switch it out, go to a package unit. Well, the guy's going to live there for another 20 years, okay? So let's get the better warranty, stick with a split. Yes, I understand why he said that, because he wants to make it easier on himself, his crews, but it's not the best interest of the customer. It's really not. I mean, as the operator, owner-operator of a business, would I like to do package units all day long?

Absolutely.

The crews would be happy with it. There's not many problems with the package units. You don't have ceiling problems with the package unit. You don't step through a ceiling when you install a package unit outside, okay? It doesn't happen. Um, so, but it goes back to what's best for the customer. If the customer wants a split, it's fine with the split, it's going to stay there for a while, there's no reason not to do a split unless you have a limit in the room you have under the house or in the attic to get that split in. In some houses here in Scotland County and in Fayetteville, I mean, they're so low you have to go with the package. I mean, you can barely get duck under there. So you have to go with a package unit outside. So it kind of, it goes back to what the house is going to allow you to do and then what's best for the customer.

Is that it?

That's it.

I don't have anything.

No follow-up questions?

I'm done with following up.

Does that answer everything? Was that good? What have you been thinking about?

That was my question. Okay, with the dual fuel, if mine's going to switch over, but it's not because I don't roll like that.

No, no, you're rolling traditional. And, and most homeowners aren't educated on what dual fuel does and is, and that's our job to go to the homeowner and educate them on, on why dual fuel is more efficient and how does that change over. It's not, it's not something where you go to it and flip a switch and do it manually. It does it automatically all by itself. You don't really know what's going on. You just know you're comfortable, but your electric and gas bills will know the difference. So, all right, that's episode 74, changing it up a little bit, doing some live Q&A with some follow-up questions. Hope you enjoyed it. Ask your questions to #AskDerekCole and we'll get them on the show.