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Whoever told you electric water heaters are 60% was either mistaken or a gas lobbyist. The minimum efficiency for electric water heaters, required by federal l

Whoever told you electric water heaters are 60% was either mistaken or a gas lobbyist. The minimum efficiency for electric water heaters, required by federal law, is 90%. Electric heat pump water heaters have efficiency ratings in excess of 100%, often over 200% when measured by the same standard as “traditional” heaters. https://smarterhouse.org/water-heating/replacing-your-water-heater https://smarterhouse.org/water-heating/replacing-your-water-...

ars 4y ago
The efficiency of an electric plant is 60%. Many are as low as 45%. You have a serious blind spot, or wilful ignorance about natural gas vs electricity. A natural gas water heater easily eclipses any electric one. A heat pump water heater just barely is better, in some, warm climates, and only if you barely use water (their recovery rate is so low they basically only work in 2 person households). For most people it is NOT better.
- rocket_surgeron 4y ago
  Ah I see you googled "efficiency of a gas power plant" and ran with the first result. Excellent! The efficiencies of gas power plants are not measured in the same way as water heaters and the two numbers are not comparable. It is also not because turbines generate more power. They do, but most vessel's speed is limited by physics, not the amount of oomph they can put into the screws. Think of it this way: if gas turbines were less efficient that boilers, why has every navy on the entire planet moved away from boilers? It ain't because maintenance is easier or costs are lower with turbines, that's for sure. Gas turbines compress the gas. They are much more efficient than dribbling gas out of an orifice at 1 ATM and getting a nice blue flame out of it. Also, good job ignoring the fact that you were wrong about water heater efficiency and then dismissing my correction and then immediately changing the thrust of your argument. It warms my heart to see that people never change. Finally, your information about heat pumps is extremely outdated, from the 80s or 90s, I'm assuming you're older and don't keep up with technological developments? (or are an oil and gas lobbyist)
  - dang 4y ago
    Would you please stop breaking the site guidelines? Personal attacks, name-calling, and snark are not ok on HN. Your comment here is stuffed with them. Seriously not cool. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

ars 4y ago

The efficiency of an electric plant is 60%. Many are as low as 45%. You have a serious blind spot, or wilful ignorance about natural gas vs electricity. A natural gas water heater easily eclipses any electric one. A heat pump water heater just barely is better, in some, warm climates, and only if you barely use water (their recovery rate is so low they basically only work in 2 person households). For most people it is NOT better.

rocket_surgeron 4y ago
Ah I see you googled "efficiency of a gas power plant" and ran with the first result. Excellent! The efficiencies of gas power plants are not measured in the same way as water heaters and the two numbers are not comparable. It is also not because turbines generate more power. They do, but most vessel's speed is limited by physics, not the amount of oomph they can put into the screws. Think of it this way: if gas turbines were less efficient that boilers, why has every navy on the entire planet moved away from boilers? It ain't because maintenance is easier or costs are lower with turbines, that's for sure. Gas turbines compress the gas. They are much more efficient than dribbling gas out of an orifice at 1 ATM and getting a nice blue flame out of it. Also, good job ignoring the fact that you were wrong about water heater efficiency and then dismissing my correction and then immediately changing the thrust of your argument. It warms my heart to see that people never change. Finally, your information about heat pumps is extremely outdated, from the 80s or 90s, I'm assuming you're older and don't keep up with technological developments? (or are an oil and gas lobbyist)
- dang 4y ago
  Would you please stop breaking the site guidelines? Personal attacks, name-calling, and snark are not ok on HN. Your comment here is stuffed with them. Seriously not cool. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html