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> The system should be self contained from the start and must be able to function without a local network & internet. Rural users often have limited or no acce
by ilamont 4y ago
> The system should be self contained from the start and must be able to function without a local network & internet.
Rural users often have limited or no access to Internet service, yet need technology like this to heat and cool their homes.
- WaitWaitWha 4y agoYes, the internet is not as ubiquitous as some might presume, and not just in rural areas. Some newly developed suburbs of large cities do not have internet connectivity, not even Starlink yet. I have learned about this in Ohio, Delaware, Texas, and most recently in Florida. Some where just too isolated & not big enough for the carriers, some were blocked by politicking, and some I have no idea why.
- mydriasis 4y agoHey, that's me! We wound up getting a pellet stove, super cheap to operate and very efficient so far, but I'd also be open to a heat pump at the right price range. We're some of the few with high quality Internet. Lots of my neighbors have wood burning stoves or pellet burners, because they're so cheap to operate compared to the next possibility, which is propane, a very expensive fossil fuel. Pellets being renewable is great, but if the heat pump does just as well, or at least assists, they might get lots of rural bites. I'm excited to see where this goes.
- bozertron 4y agoMe too! Rural and temperate? Great. Rural and cold? Not great. I have a heat pump that's rated to -30C. The energy benefits fall off a cliff when it gets cold. Can use as primary in the summer and parts of the shoulder seasons. Useless in the winter from a cost perspective. I think the direction of the industry is great. Needs some R&D cycles to become a primary for all.
- mydriasis 4y agoAw, bummer. Yeah, we're up in Ohio -- not the coldest, but wintery enough. Here's hope for the future! Like you said, perhaps with enough R&D...