Best way to use excess solar to offset gas heat

[Hedges]

When I've checked the math (for my area of California), a heat pump and electric rates is still several times as expensive as gas heat.
When gas goes up 10x for geopolitical reasons, it may reach break-even. Similar for DIY PV systems.

I excessively over-built grid-tie PV system, so use-it-or-lose-it kWh are "free". I installed a resistive duct heater and no longer enable gas furnace.
One catch - when thermostat enabled duct heater (through a gas/electric selector switch) and duct heater signaled air handler fan to turn on, that also turned on the A/C. Had to install one more control relay to stop that.



I'm contemplating heat pump for a future install.
Maybe HPWH prior to gas water heater, hydronic loop for presently unconditioned space plus within the air handler.

 

[Zwy]

If it's an attic area that you have access to reframe it. When I went to put my ceiling cassettes in they required 22.5"+ an 1/8", so they wouldn't fit. I scabbed another 2x6 along side it and then cut out the offending portion. You'd have to do a bit more but you could double up the 2x on both sides, box in perpendicular to those and then cut the offending board out.

Pioneer now offers a ceiling unit that will fit in between 16" O.C. https://www.pioneerminisplit.com/collections/cyk

 

[goldserve]

Pioneer now offers a ceiling unit that will fit in between 16" O.C. https://www.pioneerminisplit.com/collections/cyk

Looks like the MrCool cassette version I have. It is absolutely a nice thing to not need a furnace that turns on a very large fan to push air around parts of the house that I don't use. I never had AC before so you kill two birds with one stone and I'm finding myself always just turning on and setting to 21C even though I swore we don't need AC for norcal.