Board Meeting & Heat Pump Question

Just a reminder that there’s a Board meeting tonight which is open to owners. The Zoom link should have come to everyone via an e-mail yesterday morning from our new property manager, Patti Forde at Avatar Properties. If you didn’t get it please check your spam folder.

Also, I have a question from a resident looking for advice from folks with longtime experience with our heat pumps. She’s finding their recent energy bills to be almost double last year’s despite their best efforts to insulate and conserve. Has anyone had a similar experience? Did it turn out to be a problem with the heat pumps? Please post any info in the comments. Thanks!

13 thoughts on “Board Meeting & Heat Pump Question”

  1. From the NYT in November,:
    After plunging during the pandemic as the global economy slowed, energy prices have roared upward. Natural gas, used to heat almost half of U.S. households, has almost doubled in price since this time last year. The price of crude oil — which deeply affects the 10 percent of households that rely on heating oil and propane during the winter — has soared by similarly eye-popping levels.

  2. Given the historically low temps and that other heat pumps that pull outside air being unable to provide heating below certain temperatures I’d be curious how much hotter our central air supply is versus what would ordinarily be pulled from outside? Is that something we track? I’d assume it has to come from outside at some point so even if it’s heated there’s it’s only so much hotter that it can get. FWIW, lately seeing any set point above 66 degrees being an unreachable goal on the second floor, first floor fares a bit better in reaching 68 degrees.

  3. Hello – I am seeing something similar (that my energy bills have increased substantially).

    I have a device that tells me how much electricity various devices in the house are using, and it tells me that the heat pump is using roughly the same amount as last year – I think the biggest difference on my bill is the rise in energy rates.

  4. Heat pumps can be influenced by the air intakes (are your filters changed regularly) as well as dust and other obstructions on the coils. There might be other issues (low coolant levels in the compressor) and a good plumber like A1 Maintenance Master might be able to diagnose better. Comparing electricity usage might provide clues.

    Good luck determining your issue(s).

  5. Yes, energy prices have soared over the past year. I believe that is the culprit to higher electric bills.

  6. A quick google search for “have electricity prices gone up massachusetts” turned up plenty of information about price hikes of anywhere from 7.3% to 52% (!) coming into effect this past fall. Demand has caught up to supply after dipping during shutdowns, and prices are rising significantly.

  7. Also, FYI, neither of us received an email from Avatar Properties about a zoom or the board meeting, and this is the first time I’ve heard the name Patti Forde. Not sure if it was just us or what.

    1. I was contacted by a few people who didn’t receive the e-mail so it’s not just you. Things have been a tad confused between Cathy’s retirement, Avatar’s restructuring, some cases of COVID, and some questions over which manager would take Cathy’s place. On top of that my spam filter was swallowing comment notification e-mails so I didn’t see several of the remarks here until today when I got suspicious and checked my junk folder. Hopefully things will calm down and smooth out quickly. Patti seems to be pleasant and knowledgable so the Board is hoping she’ll be a good fit here.

  8. I would bet that the hoses are clogged. Get a digital thermometer and check the incoming and outgoing temperature of the heat pump. If they are nearly the same, then call Steve Bedard and have him clean the heat pump out. I will say it’s surprising that no notice of issues occurred in the summer.

    Yes I got an email from Patti Forde but there was no introduction that she was the new manager. Nice heads up from her.

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