4 ms·
Heat pumps are more than 100% efficient though, as they move heat energy, not create it
by mavhc 6y ago
Heat pumps are more than 100% efficient though, as they move heat energy, not create it
- zaarn 6y agoI would not call that a 100% efficiency. The efficiency of a heatpump is expressed in Watt per Watt, ie, how many watts of thermal energy are moved per watt of electric energy. The reason is that simply a heat pump does not convert electrical to thermal energy, so it has no comparable efficiency in that process.
- eeZah7Ux 6y ago>I would not call that a 100% efficiency. That's the definition of efficiency for home heating.
- zaarn 6y agoNo, Heat Pumps are measured in COP (Coefficient of Performance), not thermodynamic efficiency or "the definition of efficiency for home heating". Which of the 5 definitions do you want to use?
- IgorPartola 6y agoIn theory. Remember that the motor of the heat pump isn’t 100% efficient. It’s still an electric motor. That’s is of course offset by it not generating heat but rather transferring it. So say you’re electric motor is 33% efficient. That means you need a 3x multiplier to break even with a resistive load. And the multiplier depends on the temperature difference between inside and outside. If it’s 70F inside and 50F outside you are golden. If it is -10F outside, you are better off using a resistive load.