My wife and I will be building a house later this year, and we're very interested in using solar to power as much of it as possible (ideally 100% after factoring in net metering). As we'll be building in southern Maine (US), we're very concerned about the cost to heat the home. Both our builder and the solar company we're looking into have recommended using a heat pump to heat and cool the home. Obviously heat pumps are not as efficient in cold temperatures, but they're saying that recent improvements (even in just the last couple of years) have made them highly efficient even as low as -13ºF.
The real issue is that we have no idea how much energy usage to expect from a heat pump for heating or cooling. The house will be around 2400 square feet, and we'll make sure it's as efficient as reasonably possible (triple pane windows and proper insulation). Does anyone have any experience using a heat pump to heat/cool a similar home? Even if it's not similar, how much energy does it typically pull at any given moment when running? What's the duty cycle like?
I realize these answers will vary quite a bit from home to home, but we just need to get a ballpark so we can get an idea of what to expect. Thanks so much in advance!
