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The problem is that solution doesn't scale to places where it's very cold. One reason electrical demand spiked in Texas was the fuel pumps stop working as effi

• burmanm 6y ago
  Well, heat pumps extracting from air would function until -35C (at least some models), but obviously the efficiency goes down a bit. But most do a fine job until -20/-25C. For even colder climates, one can use ground source heat pumps. So this should not be a problem for heating purposes. Cheaper cooling designed heat pumps do not obviously function to so low temperatures, but all Nordic models for example will function just fine.
  • tzs 6y ago
    To put some specific numbers on it, Mitsubishi's "Hyper-Heating" heat pumps claim 100% capacity down to 23℉ (-5℃), and 76% capacity down to -13℉ (-25℃). This is for their ductless mini-split systems. Fujitsu is similar. Mr Cool makes the claim [1] that theirs "can heat at 100% capacity at –5 degrees Fahrenheit, even with outdoor temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit". I think Mr Cool is talking about a central system, and so they are claiming 100% with the outdoor unit at -22℉ (-30℃) and the indoor unit, presumably in your unheated crawlspace, is at -5℉ (-21℃). Mr Cool also claims cooling with an outdoor temperature up to 115℉ (46℃), which so far is under the max for much of Texas, so heat pumps are a good choice still in Texas as long as you get one of the newer models with the good low temperature performance. [1] https://mrcool.com/blog/introducing-mrcool-universal/ https://mrcool.com/blog/introducing-mrcool-universal/