11 ms·

You will be pleased to know that the majority of heat pumps are installed in homes whose exteriors stay above 0 kelvin year round. Also, in what I assume is an

You will be pleased to know that the majority of heat pumps are installed in homes whose exteriors stay above 0 kelvin year round. Also, in what I assume is an efficiency feature, most heat pumps do not allow operation in a zero Kelvin environment. Also, to nit pick: Kelvins are not degrees and do not use a ° sign.

Nition 6y ago
Damn, I've been looking for a zero Kelvin heat pump that works in a vacuum to heat my spherical cows.
- omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
  Maybe you wouldn't need to heat them so much if they weren't frictionless.
- mey 6y ago
  Gotta watch out for that Maxwell brand heat pump.
- drran 6y ago
  Are you trying to liquify vacuum? It's challenging. Try to use a heat pump based on the Casemir effect, fluctuating virtual particles violate the energy conservation of the system for short periods.
LeifCarrotson 6y ago
And, as a bonus efficiency feature, most heat pumps are installed with the condenser external to the home! Yes, if you draw an imaginary box around the home and the outdoor/underground condenser, they're exactly 100% efficient, but if you only consider the inside of the home and ignore that the condenser is taking in heat energy from the outside, they're more than 100% efficient.
- seniorsassycat 6y ago
  The power station and natural gas plants are outside my house too, so my restive floor heaters and furnace are >100% efficient.
  - minitoar 6y ago
    Just draw an imaginary line around my pocket book then. I pay for the energy I'm getting from the power station. Beyond capex, I don't pay for the energy I'm getting from the heat exchanger.
- _carbyau_ 6y ago
  Anecdotally, I have come across hotel bar fridges running in entirely enclosed cupboards. Even the power cord exited the box with a rubber seal. Nice attention to detail in physical craftmanship though!
seniorsassycat 6y ago
did not realize kelvin is not a degree. I fixed my comment.
LocalH 6y ago
Good thing they wrote −273 °C and not "0 °K".
- minitoar 6y ago
  Pretty sure they edited it.
  - LocalH 6y ago
    I was under the impression that HN indicated when a comment was edited. Maybe not and I got mixed up with elsewhere. Edit: Apparently I'm completely wrong. Carry on and I'll eat my downvotes with aplomb.

Nition 6y ago

Damn, I've been looking for a zero Kelvin heat pump that works in a vacuum to heat my spherical cows.

omgwtfbyobbq 6y ago
Maybe you wouldn't need to heat them so much if they weren't frictionless.
mey 6y ago
Gotta watch out for that Maxwell brand heat pump.
drran 6y ago
Are you trying to liquify vacuum? It's challenging. Try to use a heat pump based on the Casemir effect, fluctuating virtual particles violate the energy conservation of the system for short periods.

LeifCarrotson 6y ago

And, as a bonus efficiency feature, most heat pumps are installed with the condenser external to the home! Yes, if you draw an imaginary box around the home and the outdoor/underground condenser, they're exactly 100% efficient, but if you only consider the inside of the home and ignore that the condenser is taking in heat energy from the outside, they're more than 100% efficient.

seniorsassycat 6y ago
The power station and natural gas plants are outside my house too, so my restive floor heaters and furnace are >100% efficient.
- minitoar 6y ago
  Just draw an imaginary line around my pocket book then. I pay for the energy I'm getting from the power station. Beyond capex, I don't pay for the energy I'm getting from the heat exchanger.
_carbyau_ 6y ago
Anecdotally, I have come across hotel bar fridges running in entirely enclosed cupboards. Even the power cord exited the box with a rubber seal. Nice attention to detail in physical craftmanship though!

seniorsassycat 6y ago

did not realize kelvin is not a degree. I fixed my comment.

LocalH 6y ago

Good thing they wrote −273 °C and not "0 °K".

minitoar 6y ago
Pretty sure they edited it.
- LocalH 6y ago
  I was under the impression that HN indicated when a comment was edited. Maybe not and I got mixed up with elsewhere. Edit: Apparently I'm completely wrong. Carry on and I'll eat my downvotes with aplomb.