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My heat pump has what they call "Emergency Heat" which is basically just some heating coils they add in like a traditional electric furnace. So on days when the

My heat pump has what they call "Emergency Heat" which is basically just some heating coils they add in like a traditional electric furnace. So on days when the heat pump can't do it's thing, it works just like the old furnace that I replaced. Emergency heat also kicks on when the differential between the current temp and desired temp is large. 99% of the time, the heat pump seems to do just fine on it's own.

toomuchtodo 4y ago
Newer heat pumps still have electric heat, but also can extract heat from ambient air down to -10F. Mr Cool for the DIYer, Mitsubishi for the workhorse. Reverser valves do the work of switching heat pumping direction.
TheCoelacanth 4y ago
I suspect that most of the reluctance comes from people using gas furnaces, not people using electrical resistance heating. Compared to electrical resistance heating, a heat pump has no downsides other than a higher initial cost which is very quickly paid back from energy savings, since electrical resistance heating is staggeringly expensive.
- theluketaylor 4y ago
  Resistive heat is staggeringly expensive to operate in cold climates and the people most often using it are renters who have no choice. The heat pump law and subsidy I'd most like to see is for retrofitting rental units with heat pumps, especially in places where the renter is paying for utilities. Make sure the landlord can't block the improvement (or force them to do it and cover some costs). I like carbon pricing in theory as a market solution, but it really only works when the person paying the extra cost can make different choices about their usage. Those of us rich, old, or lucky enough to own homes can retrofit for efficiency as we see fit. Renters are stuck with whatever heat source, air sealing, and insulation they draw in the lottery, especially in the current housing crunch. If the renter is also paying the utilities the person with the carbon-pricing incentive to make improvements isn't allowed to and the landlord has no reason to change.
thfuran 4y ago
Where is an electric furnace typical? Electric heat would be several times more expensive for me to operate than my gas furnace.

toomuchtodo 4y ago

Newer heat pumps still have electric heat, but also can extract heat from ambient air down to -10F. Mr Cool for the DIYer, Mitsubishi for the workhorse. Reverser valves do the work of switching heat pumping direction.

TheCoelacanth 4y ago

I suspect that most of the reluctance comes from people using gas furnaces, not people using electrical resistance heating. Compared to electrical resistance heating, a heat pump has no downsides other than a higher initial cost which is very quickly paid back from energy savings, since electrical resistance heating is staggeringly expensive.

theluketaylor 4y ago
Resistive heat is staggeringly expensive to operate in cold climates and the people most often using it are renters who have no choice. The heat pump law and subsidy I'd most like to see is for retrofitting rental units with heat pumps, especially in places where the renter is paying for utilities. Make sure the landlord can't block the improvement (or force them to do it and cover some costs). I like carbon pricing in theory as a market solution, but it really only works when the person paying the extra cost can make different choices about their usage. Those of us rich, old, or lucky enough to own homes can retrofit for efficiency as we see fit. Renters are stuck with whatever heat source, air sealing, and insulation they draw in the lottery, especially in the current housing crunch. If the renter is also paying the utilities the person with the carbon-pricing incentive to make improvements isn't allowed to and the landlord has no reason to change.

thfuran 4y ago

Where is an electric furnace typical? Electric heat would be several times more expensive for me to operate than my gas furnace.