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It’s not the media doing this; “heat pump” has been industry lingo (in the US at least) for an A/C with a reversing value since at least the early 1980s. My pa

It’s not the media doing this; “heat pump” has been industry lingo (in the US at least) for an A/C with a reversing value since at least the early 1980s. My parent’s house had a heat pump then and does so today (albeit much improved over the decades).

lsaferite 3y ago
Yeah, that's the part of all the "heat pump" coverage that I find amusing and odd. I've lived with a heat pump for at least 40 years at this point. Every house I've lived in for the last 40 years has been fully electric actually.
mindslight 3y ago
I'm aware of HVAC lingo, but that's not the entirety of it. The media is explaining them as if they're some completely different advancement, rather than focusing on the commonalities. Look at this nonsense: > Heat pumps are also compatible with natural refrigerants with lower climate impacts. They can consume less electricity than conventional central air conditioners Like no, any efficiency gains for cooling have nothing to do with a unit being a "heat pump". And same thing with refrigerants - adding a heating mode can only constraint the choice of refrigerants. So they're touting benefits that have nothing to do with "heat pump" and everything to do with newer technology - but instead of describing this accurately, it's just being ignorantly lumped under this "heat pump" banner.
- alistairSH 3y ago
  It’s not just a heat pump thing, it’s the entire industry. The state of science and tech journalism is pretty sad right now. That’s what happens when few people are willing to pay for quality research and writing. All that said, it is relatively recently that Americans have had access to heat pumps this efficient and they work reasonably well in sun-freezing temps. I grew up with heat pumps. It was pretty normal for it to kick into emergency (electric heat element) when the weather got nasty (for DC, so the mid-teens F).
  - mindslight 3y ago
    I agree, but I'm specifically calling out the treatment of heat pumps here because that is the topic under discussion. A meta point about journalism as a whole wouldn't really be on topic, nor easily applicable. I don't have heat pump experience, or even much central AC experience, but I do know that there has been many advancements that make them practical for a wider audience rather than the previous niche. I wish articles would describe these advancements rather than effectively saying "a heat pump is this new awesome invention, go buy one".

lsaferite 3y ago

Yeah, that's the part of all the "heat pump" coverage that I find amusing and odd. I've lived with a heat pump for at least 40 years at this point. Every house I've lived in for the last 40 years has been fully electric actually.

mindslight 3y ago

I'm aware of HVAC lingo, but that's not the entirety of it. The media is explaining them as if they're some completely different advancement, rather than focusing on the commonalities. Look at this nonsense: > Heat pumps are also compatible with natural refrigerants with lower climate impacts. They can consume less electricity than conventional central air conditioners Like no, any efficiency gains for cooling have nothing to do with a unit being a "heat pump". And same thing with refrigerants - adding a heating mode can only constraint the choice of refrigerants. So they're touting benefits that have nothing to do with "heat pump" and everything to do with newer technology - but instead of describing this accurately, it's just being ignorantly lumped under this "heat pump" banner.

alistairSH 3y ago
It’s not just a heat pump thing, it’s the entire industry. The state of science and tech journalism is pretty sad right now. That’s what happens when few people are willing to pay for quality research and writing. All that said, it is relatively recently that Americans have had access to heat pumps this efficient and they work reasonably well in sun-freezing temps. I grew up with heat pumps. It was pretty normal for it to kick into emergency (electric heat element) when the weather got nasty (for DC, so the mid-teens F).
- mindslight 3y ago
  I agree, but I'm specifically calling out the treatment of heat pumps here because that is the topic under discussion. A meta point about journalism as a whole wouldn't really be on topic, nor easily applicable. I don't have heat pump experience, or even much central AC experience, but I do know that there has been many advancements that make them practical for a wider audience rather than the previous niche. I wish articles would describe these advancements rather than effectively saying "a heat pump is this new awesome invention, go buy one".