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.

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?

That's what I think too. Replacing the whole thing makes more sense. Energy supplier is Dominion, in Virginia.

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

And I'll be happy for any advice!

Typo, yes, it is an air-source heat pump, then.

Modern heat pumps are pretty reliable. Usually what's more important is getting a quality installation and a service contract. Your utility may have a financing program and probably some kind of rebate program. Your electricity bill will be lower, but estimating how much lower requires witchcraft.

The first thing to be suspicious of is a company that quotes you a heat pump size based on your saying "I have a three-bedroom house." If someone doesn't come out and do a lot of measuring and the Manual J calculations, he doesn't have a clue. Here's a good guide to that. [link]

Modern heat pumps are pretty reliable.

Good to know. I'm comfortable with the quality of the company and their technicians. Service contract, definitely. Rebates, available. Don't need to know exactly how much lower the bill will be. (Not worth firing up the ol' pentagram...) Someone's coming out tomorrow to do measurements and calculations. Thanks for that link! I will peruse it at length tonight.