Heat Pump for Mid-Atlantic Region

[Patrick M.]

We are halfway through a complete gutting and renovation of a 4plex. In the rented downstairs apartments we replaced the baseboard heat with HVAC and we were able to place the 2 furnaces in the ceiling area between the 2 floors. I still pay for the gas for the heat but the tenants pay the electric/AC.

Now, we have the 2nd floor apartments partially framed out. We are going to put in central AC and we were going to run radiators throughout the apartments. This is a very old, brick building- new roof, all windows replaced and it will be completely insulated and air-tight. The 2 apartments are 800 sq ft and 915 square ft. We have the old boiler in the basement which used to run all 4 apartments- so it is overkill but we would still use it for the time being. There is no way for me to place furnaces for the 2nd fl apartments,

So- today as we contemplated running the radiators we gave some thought to using an electric heat pump instead. Especially since we will already have the ducts for the AC. I have a couple of concerns- the first of which is that I will not be able to have a dual fuel system for when the temps really drop, so I understand it will draw a lot of electricity at those times.

This will also force my tenants to pay their own heat which isn't a game changer- but is not the norm in my community. They will have complete control of their thermostats and they will be a higher priced rental. But it does add to my concern about how much electricity the unit may use. (The tenants would still have gas for their stoves.)

Does anyone have any experience or insights into fuel pump usage in this region and what kind of utility cost it may incur?