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Heat pumps are expensive to operate, and a nightmare to fix. There is a big movement to build whole subdivisions without using natural gas at all, electric rang

Heat pumps are expensive to operate, and a nightmare to fix. There is a big movement to build whole subdivisions without using natural gas at all, electric ranges and heat pumps. I don't know why it upsets me so much but it does.

Alupis 3y ago
Well, the no-gas thing upsets me because cooking on modern electric cooktops/stoves is still staggeringly awful.
- cycrutchfield 3y ago
  Induction cooktops heat faster and more evenly than gas
  - Alupis 3y ago
    There's many good reasons induction cooktops aren't used in commercial kitchens... and those reasons apply for home-cooks as well.
    - Tor3 3y ago
      But they are used in commercial kitchens. I joined a cooking course arranged by a well-known restaurant where I live, and to my surprise the kitchen we used used induction. Very easy to operate, and you could easily set the heating exactly. It worked basically as a gas restaurant kitchen, just without the gas.
    - baq 3y ago
      Woks suck on induction by design and that’s pretty much it. The rest is uniquely US problem of not having 400V installations.
      - dacryn 3y ago
        you have wok shaped induction plates that work extremely well It's a niche, I give you that, and the plate can only be used with specific sized woks, but they exist. https://maxima.com/en/induction-wok-wok-burner.html https://maxima.com/en/induction-wok-wok-burner.html
    - cycrutchfield 3y ago
      Inertia? Ignorance? I've seen induction cooktops in commercial kitchens before, maybe they were just being stupid?
Tor3 3y ago
Heat pumps for homes aren't expensive to operate. They are cheaper to "operate" than resistance heaters. I doubt they're a nightmare to fix - I have actually had to get mine "fixed" once. It was still fairly new, and it turned out there was a leak in the tube so the coolant gradually (over the last year) got out. The company came and fixed that easily enough. Since then (January 2011) the heat pump has been running 24/7 with no issues whatsoever. In fact you're not supposed to turn them off at all, the moving parts are supposed to keep moving. So, if I'm away for some weeks I simply set the temperature to the recommended "idle" temperature of 17C, which in practice means it's not really doing any work, but it's not off either.

Alupis 3y ago

Well, the no-gas thing upsets me because cooking on modern electric cooktops/stoves is still staggeringly awful.

cycrutchfield 3y ago
Induction cooktops heat faster and more evenly than gas
- Alupis 3y ago
  There's many good reasons induction cooktops aren't used in commercial kitchens... and those reasons apply for home-cooks as well.
  - Tor3 3y ago
    But they are used in commercial kitchens. I joined a cooking course arranged by a well-known restaurant where I live, and to my surprise the kitchen we used used induction. Very easy to operate, and you could easily set the heating exactly. It worked basically as a gas restaurant kitchen, just without the gas.
  - baq 3y ago
    Woks suck on induction by design and that’s pretty much it. The rest is uniquely US problem of not having 400V installations.
    - dacryn 3y ago
      you have wok shaped induction plates that work extremely well It's a niche, I give you that, and the plate can only be used with specific sized woks, but they exist. https://maxima.com/en/induction-wok-wok-burner.html https://maxima.com/en/induction-wok-wok-burner.html
  - cycrutchfield 3y ago
    Inertia? Ignorance? I've seen induction cooktops in commercial kitchens before, maybe they were just being stupid?

Tor3 3y ago

Heat pumps for homes aren't expensive to operate. They are cheaper to "operate" than resistance heaters. I doubt they're a nightmare to fix - I have actually had to get mine "fixed" once. It was still fairly new, and it turned out there was a leak in the tube so the coolant gradually (over the last year) got out. The company came and fixed that easily enough. Since then (January 2011) the heat pump has been running 24/7 with no issues whatsoever. In fact you're not supposed to turn them off at all, the moving parts are supposed to keep moving. So, if I'm away for some weeks I simply set the temperature to the recommended "idle" temperature of 17C, which in practice means it's not really doing any work, but it's not off either.