3 ms·
> It seems to me, there is no future where a heatpump can be the only source of in-home heating then. > > 1) Natural Gas is vastly cheaper in most/all of the U
by Maxion 3y ago
> It seems to me, there is no future where a heatpump can be the only source of in-home heating then.
>
> 1) Natural Gas is vastly cheaper in most/all of the US.
>
> 2) Homes still require an alternative heating source when temperatures drop to low levels (coincidentally when people need heating the most).
> ...
> I must be missing something here...
Yes you are, your natural gas subsidized, i.e. government handout, i.e. you're not paying the real market cost.
Second, heat pumps do not have issues with cold temps, unless you're at like -40c. They're used all over the nordic countries - including above the arctic circle.
Your energy grid is shit, which is why your electricity price is so high.
- Alupis 3y ago> Yes you are, your natural gas subsidized, i.e. government handout, i.e. you're not paying the real market cost. > Your energy grid is shit, which is why your electricity price is so high. Adding a heatpump solves this issue, or makes it worse?
- tcfhgj 3y agoHeat pumps power consumption can be modulated by energy providers and improve grid power stability. In Germany you get way cheaper electricity prices if you allow this.
- Alupis 3y agoI am not aware of any such system in the US. What do you mean by "modulate"? Your utility provider decides how much heat your home gets? That's a very strange concept.
- nightski 3y agoHeat pumps might work at -40c, but all the efficiency gains are lost and it's going to cost a fortune.
- Tor3 3y agoThe best one reaches 1:1 when approaching -35C, which means that they're as efficient as resistive heaters. So you save nothing in electricity costs, and if all your days are that cold then the $3000 you invested in the heat pump is wasted (that's how much a quality pump with installation will cost you in the Nordic countries - it seems to be much more expensive in North America, at least that's what the comments appear to indicate). If you have warmer days now and then then you'll start saving money, and eventually it'll pay for itself. Where I live (cold winters), the cost was covered in only two years.