Replacing boiler and old forced air AC with Heat Pump in Chicago

[Brandon Brown]

My wife and I own a two-flat in Chicago, and we're planning to upgrade our heating system. Currently, we have boilers and radiators that we want to remove to create space in the basement for a future conversion into another dwelling unit. The basement meets all the criteria for a dwelling unit in Chicago, but we need to go through the re-zoning process.

In addition, we have old R22 forced air units that we want to replace with a heat pump. Chicago winters can be harsh, so we're curious if anyone has had a good experience using a heat pump with an ancillary heat strip for those extremely cold days when the heat pump can't keep up. We know that a dual fuel system would be more optimal, but the cost of running a gas line and venting is likely higher than adding another circuit for the heat strip.

Furthermore, we are looking for recommendations for an HVAC installer in Chicago. We plan to provide all the HVAC equipment ourselves, so we need someone who is willing to install it. Unfortunately, none of the larger HVAC companies in Chicago are willing to install equipment they haven't sold.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!