It sounds like they quoted you a bottom of the range 11 SEER A/C vs a top of the line multi-stage compressor variable speed blower 19 SEER heat pump system. Those are not the same thing.
One has a lower rate of "undesirable outcomes" and thus when the option's binary like that then the choice is clear.
Otherwise, heat pumps are essentially the same as modern A/C units.
That said there was basically no difference in putting in an A/C only unit vs a combination. Technology wise it's the same so to speak just running in reverse in winter vs summer. We use the heat pump down to -15C-ish then I usually shut it down and just use the baseboard or if awake the stove (looks much nicer ;))
It was a no brainer to get the combination unit really. I don't get why it isn't the default nowadays and A/C and heating are thought of as separate concerns. We just don't have ducting, else we could A/C the whole house vs. just one floor.
And I can definitely attest to the heating element aka defrost. We don't have actual resistive heat in the pump as we have the baseboards anyway but the lower the outside temp goes the more it has to defrost the outside as it freezes up. As winter goes by, icicles form underneath the outside unit where the defrosted ice drains out and refreezes.
It's actually amazing that the thing can extract heat from -10C air outside to heat up air that's already 21C inside to heat it up even further!
Generally true, as the mini-splits (have) tend(ed) to operate down to lower temperatures, but the heat pumps that look like 'traditional' outdoor A/C units are getting down there as well: for example this Lennox unit can work down to -4F / -20C:
* https://tech.lennoxintl.com/c03e7o14l/viu12ch2uv/ehb_sl25xpv...
That'll provide pretty good coverage of the year in many parts of North America before something like a gas furnace needs to kick in. (Speaking as someone who lives in Canada.)
I'm well north of Chicago. The heat pump is rated to -22F but have the lockout set to 15F to cut over to the furnace. Mostly for wear and tear reasons. But it has a COP rating of 1.75 at 5F. So still more efficient than any furnace well below where I run it.
Is this in the US? Maybe the market is distorted just because not enough people are buying them yet, so nobody has much stock and there's little competition... We have that problem I think for air to water - super common in the UK and Europe, but since everybody uses air to air, split and ducted systems are super cheap but air to water are quite expensive. I really would quite like some heated floors in my bathrooms if I end up doing a big renovation, and don't want to go electric in-floor because hydronic with a heat pump should be more efficient.
The US generally has cheaper labor, less construction rules, and cheaper components due to volume . the solar thing is mysterious to me.
These things are quite expensive. I think the HVAC installers are making a large commission though. The actual equipment costs much less than that.
There’s a local lot with a used 2021 Ioniq with the usual “used car dealer” hand-lettered sign proclaiming the $5,750 provincial rebate. I’m also fairly certain the car had its price inflated by that much by the dealer, or will climb by that as soon as negotiations start.
(1) https://www.apexautogroup.ca/inventory/2021-hyundai-ioniq-el...
All that is to say, my first guess is that the GP was quoted a high-SEER unit for name-ish brand equipment.
Also, I have 15k BTU available for one or two additional head units. I opted for this approach instead of under-sizing the heat pump or assuming we'd need the extra head unit and buying them during initial install. Half of our basement has no ducting so we thought a unit for heat would be nice. Also considered adding another unit in second floor landing for additional capacity. Not sure yet if we will.
My only complaint is the Kumo cloud is terrible.
They’re right though, the Kumo app is truly awful. Which is sad as it’s also quite useful.
The guy made no attempt to upsell me and if anything was pushing the cheapest option
Suffice to say I don't plan on staying at that house long enough to ever get my moneys or enjoyment out of it. Bummer.
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I think it's true that the cost only goes up "a little" between models, but the issue is, they make you go up across the board of equipment and it all adds up dramatically. The high end option requires buying their custom thermostat which was $1200 alone
One caveat to that is if you have a furnace, they may have wanted to install a full new air handler and run electric emergency heat vs just swapping the coil and condenser.
You can configure a heat pump coil with a furnace as the emergency heat but it might take some more thinking than an off the shelf AHU condenser pairing that maybe the contractor wasn't comfortable with doing that.