4 ms·

> I don't understand why there's been so much brouhaha over heat pumps as of late, it's nothing new. It is something new for the mainstream American consumer.

pengaru 5y ago
But that's simply not true, air conditioning has been ubiquitous in the US for decades. They just didn't call it a heat pump, but it's a heat pump. This is just marketing bullshit AFAICT.
- ajuc 5y ago
  Every LED is a solar cell. Every electric engine is a generator. Every speaker is a microphone. Means nothing, because they suck in these unintended applications unless they were specifically designed for them. What changed recently is - heat pumps and solar panels got cheap/good enough to be viable alternative for heating houses in most climates.
  - drewcoo 5y ago
    Every analogy is lossy but they can be useful. You have used several analogous relations to show a larger pattern. You've extracted the utility and distilled it into its essence. It's really hard to stretch what you wrote too far until it breaks, like most standalone analogies. Love it! (Commenting here in the hope that more people will adopt the tactic.)
- yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
  I would say that being able to run in reverse is a material change.
c_o_n_v_e_x 5y ago
Ex-HVAC tech here. Although not commonly seen, heat pumps were around on the US gulf coast back in the late 90's / early 2000's. Depending on what region/climate you're in, they're more popular. Industry vernacular: Air conditioner / air con: Unidirectional. Cools home. air cooled. Furnace or heater: Separate unit to provide heat in home. Furnace is gas, heater is electric. Heat pump: Bidirectional. Can heat or cool home. air cooled. Also, can come with "emergency heat" electric heaters. Ground source or geothermal heat pump: Bidirectional. can heat or cool home. water cooled. Swamp cooler: evaporative cooler.
- lsaferite 5y ago
  I've lived in Florida most of my life. As far back as I can remember we had (bi-directional) heat pumps. This is at least back in the mid 80s.

pengaru 5y ago

But that's simply not true, air conditioning has been ubiquitous in the US for decades. They just didn't call it a heat pump, but it's a heat pump. This is just marketing bullshit AFAICT.

ajuc 5y ago
Every LED is a solar cell. Every electric engine is a generator. Every speaker is a microphone. Means nothing, because they suck in these unintended applications unless they were specifically designed for them. What changed recently is - heat pumps and solar panels got cheap/good enough to be viable alternative for heating houses in most climates.
- drewcoo 5y ago
  Every analogy is lossy but they can be useful. You have used several analogous relations to show a larger pattern. You've extracted the utility and distilled it into its essence. It's really hard to stretch what you wrote too far until it breaks, like most standalone analogies. Love it! (Commenting here in the hope that more people will adopt the tactic.)
yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
I would say that being able to run in reverse is a material change.

c_o_n_v_e_x 5y ago

Ex-HVAC tech here. Although not commonly seen, heat pumps were around on the US gulf coast back in the late 90's / early 2000's. Depending on what region/climate you're in, they're more popular. Industry vernacular: Air conditioner / air con: Unidirectional. Cools home. air cooled. Furnace or heater: Separate unit to provide heat in home. Furnace is gas, heater is electric. Heat pump: Bidirectional. Can heat or cool home. air cooled. Also, can come with "emergency heat" electric heaters. Ground source or geothermal heat pump: Bidirectional. can heat or cool home. water cooled. Swamp cooler: evaporative cooler.

lsaferite 5y ago
I've lived in Florida most of my life. As far back as I can remember we had (bi-directional) heat pumps. This is at least back in the mid 80s.