1960: The $11,950 Heat Pump Home
Contractor partnership slashes costs on affordable model homes
HOT CAKES: The air-conditioned homes were selling at about one per week, while similar homes without heat pumps sat unsold for months.
For the equivalent of roughly two years’ salary, prospective buyers in Clearwater, Florida, could buy a model home, lot included, complete with a heat pump that would provide “year-round” air conditioning.
A partnership between a building company and HVAC contractor resulted in an ultra-affordable $11,950 home, at a time when the average salary was about $5,600. In today’s dollars, that salary equates to about $63,000, and the price of the home is $134,400.
“This is said to be made possible by close cooperation between builder and air conditioning contractor combined with detailed planning and building 'know-how,’” The ACHR NEWS reported in an August 1960 article.
By using this method of planned construction, Timmons Homes was able to slash material and installation costs “to the point that there is only $450 difference between the selling price of the completely air-conditioned home and the home without the heat pump.”
The strategy was effective, with ACHR NEWS noting that the homes with the heat pumps were selling an average of one per week, while their unconditioned counterparts “remained unsold for months.”
PERFECT MATCH: A partnership between Timmons Homes and Banner Heating helped make year-round air conditioning affordable in a low-cost Florida home. (Photo by Chris Gray/BNP Media)
In the first two weeks of this deal hitting the market, Timmons had seven orders.
Two men were reportedly able to rough in the heat pump system in half a day, and completely wrap-up the install in another two hours.
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“Willingness of the builders to act on the recommendation of the air condition contractor is said to result in savings of close to $100 on each job just on installation alone,” ACHR NEWS reported.
To further reduce costs, Banner Heating switched from buying pre-fab ductwork and bought their own fabrication equipment instead.
“Savings on materials for the Timmons homes result from tapering the duct from 24 by 8 to 16 by 8 and back up to 18 by 8 at the outlet,” the article states.
The two-ton unit sat on a 30-inch by 46-inch cement slab on the back of the house, which was poured separately to reduce vibration.
The unit reportedly only cost about $10 per month to run, and was on a four-hour schedule every day during the summer with the thermostat set at 72°, which was “6° under the recommended temperature.”
“This cooler temperature impresses prospects with the contrast between outside summer heat and the refreshing coolness inside the model home,” ACHR NEWS reported.
In the winter, supplemental electric heat was provided by a 4-kilowatt strip heater in the supply duct.
These homes were targeted toward retired people and had 840 square feet of living area, plus a 12-foot by 24-foot garage, a 10-foot by 10-foot patio, and kitchen cabinets.
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