HOWEVER. Since sj is buying a house, I want to say, I have never regretted buying instead of renting. When something breaks in my own house, I can just get it fixed. Negotiating with my sister is nothing compared to wrestling with a reluctant landlord.

Why do I have to consult my sister? Because she's part-owner of the property, and joint owner of the bank account the savings is in. I could just do it without asking her, but it would upset her if I did, and rightfully so. She has a say in it.

A quick Google found this on Trane heat pumps. [link]

Don't know how representative this is, but at least your sister is not basing her dislike of Trane heat pumpos on nothing. Don't know if these are outliers rather than typical.

I take it this is an air-source heat pump, not a ground source heat pump.

I don't know what that means! There's an outside unit and an inside unit (the condenser, I believe).

Argh. I am soooo tired. Want to go home. . .

What would replacing the whole system entail/do? Other new parts? Something to your house? Cheaper bills down the line?

Since this system is old, parts will keep breaking. Replacing it now means less hassle and maybe less expense down the line. Replacing it will also probably lower my electric bills a bit, since a new system won't have to work as hard as the old system apparently is.

Don't know how representative this is, but at least your sister is not basing her dislike of Trane heat pumpos on nothing. Don't know if these are outliers rather than typical.

You know, no matter what the thing is, some of them are going to suck, and some of them will be superlative. You can find complaints on the Internet about everything. Not that it's nothing, but I can't base my decision on a handful of complaints from strangers.

It really doesn't make sense to just replace the compressor. Today's models will be at least 30% more efficient. What's your electricity supplier?

(I'd be happy to talk you through it. I've written way too many articles and brochures about heat pumps.)

I almost didn't click on the link about removing words, because of @@, but I'm glad I did -- I had figured it was some [group with which I would disagree about almost everything], but it was the NYC Dept. of Education. That's really depressing.

I can see an agency's not wanting to have references to, say, alcohol, weapons, gambling, and porn on a standardized test, so I'll allow it. (But, really, how likely is it that there would be a paragraph on gun-toting porn stars boozing it up at the casinos in Vegas?) But as for the rest? I shake my head wearily at the NYC DoE.

Yeah, the complaints are mainly an indication that it is worth doing some research. And your description makes it clear that it is an air source heat pump. A ground source heat pump would have an extensive network pipes underground. Any the price would be too low for a ground source.

This is not a trivial purchase,so you should take the trouble to make sure the quality is decent. Actually more important that saving a grand. Constant repair bills will add up past the 1000 dollar mark quickly. So I'm not really supportive on a purchase like this just saying "this is what money is for" rather than taking the time to get the right heat pump. At minimum make sure you can get a ten year warranty on the whole unit (not just the compressor) that covers parts and labor. Somewhere there are trustworthy ratings on heat pumps. Maybe your sister could do the research on that one. Or maybe Ginger knows, since she has been on the detail edge on this.