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This is true when it’s warm enough outside that you don’t need the heat pump anyway. When the temperature becomes cold, it’s a different story. Heat pumps migh

This is true when it’s warm enough outside that you don’t need the heat pump anyway. When the temperature becomes cold, it’s a different story. Heat pumps might make sense when you have a well-insulated house, like the kinds in Northern Europe, to trap heat and reduce the power required to heat the room. American houses in most places are far too drafty.

dragonwriter 4y ago
> Heat pumps might make sense when you have a well-insulated house, like the kinds in Northern Europe, to trap heat and reduce the power required to heat the room. American houses in most places are far too drafty. If you need significant heating or cooling in a home, the first thing you need is to deal with is insulation, otherwise nothing you do is going to work well.
- anikom15 4y ago
  That’s true, but unless you are doing some kind of industrial work (including running very hot computers), you shouldn’t need significant heating or cooling in most of America. The idea that indoors needs to be between 72° (F) and 75° at all times is unsustainable. The other problem is that if you do decide to insulate the house, then you may end up needing to use A/C because the house can no longer be wind-cooled to an acceptable temperature, and you will need to update the heating system as traditional methods of heating (fireplace, stove, simple furnaces) depend on external air circulation.
  - dragonwriter 4y ago
    > That’s true, but unless you are doing some kind of industrial work (including running very hot computers), you shouldn’t need significant heating or cooling in most of America. > The idea that indoors needs to be between 72° (F) and 75° at all times is unsustainable. The WHO recommends a general minimum household temperature of 64°F for all populations for health reasons, with a higher minimum for sensitive groups including children and the elderly; maximums are more regionally variant because acclimitization (which takes years) plays more of a factor in high-heat health risks, but even in extreme regions seems to top out at about 90°F for the general population. Lots of the US spends lots of time significantly out of at least one end of that range (and, especially given that the top gets lower in colder regions, lots of the US spends lots of time significantly out on both ends of the scale.) > The other problem is that if you do decide to insulate the house, then you may end up needing to use A/C because the house can no longer be wind-cooled to an acceptable temperature If you have a house that is insulated well and also lacks doors and windows that can be opened, sure. But... that presents other problems, too.
    - anikom15 4y ago
      I’m talking about significant cooling and heating, which is what you mentioned. Set your thermostats to 66° F heating and 88° F cooling and compare your electricity gas usage to 72° F/75°F for the year.

dragonwriter 4y ago

> Heat pumps might make sense when you have a well-insulated house, like the kinds in Northern Europe, to trap heat and reduce the power required to heat the room. American houses in most places are far too drafty. If you need significant heating or cooling in a home, the first thing you need is to deal with is insulation, otherwise nothing you do is going to work well.

anikom15 4y ago
That’s true, but unless you are doing some kind of industrial work (including running very hot computers), you shouldn’t need significant heating or cooling in most of America. The idea that indoors needs to be between 72° (F) and 75° at all times is unsustainable. The other problem is that if you do decide to insulate the house, then you may end up needing to use A/C because the house can no longer be wind-cooled to an acceptable temperature, and you will need to update the heating system as traditional methods of heating (fireplace, stove, simple furnaces) depend on external air circulation.
- dragonwriter 4y ago
  > That’s true, but unless you are doing some kind of industrial work (including running very hot computers), you shouldn’t need significant heating or cooling in most of America. > The idea that indoors needs to be between 72° (F) and 75° at all times is unsustainable. The WHO recommends a general minimum household temperature of 64°F for all populations for health reasons, with a higher minimum for sensitive groups including children and the elderly; maximums are more regionally variant because acclimitization (which takes years) plays more of a factor in high-heat health risks, but even in extreme regions seems to top out at about 90°F for the general population. Lots of the US spends lots of time significantly out of at least one end of that range (and, especially given that the top gets lower in colder regions, lots of the US spends lots of time significantly out on both ends of the scale.) > The other problem is that if you do decide to insulate the house, then you may end up needing to use A/C because the house can no longer be wind-cooled to an acceptable temperature If you have a house that is insulated well and also lacks doors and windows that can be opened, sure. But... that presents other problems, too.
  - anikom15 4y ago
    I’m talking about significant cooling and heating, which is what you mentioned. Set your thermostats to 66° F heating and 88° F cooling and compare your electricity gas usage to 72° F/75°F for the year.