4 ms·
I think the consensus on why heat pumps _should_ be the future is that you can power them with low carbon electricity, as opposed to literally world destroying
by glogla 3y ago
I think the consensus on why heat pumps _should_ be the future is that you can power them with low carbon electricity, as opposed to literally world destroying natural gas.
- gizmo686 3y agoA quick Google search says that natural gas -> electricity has an efficiency of about 44%, with an additional 5% loss during transmission. Lets call this about 40% efficiency for getting energy from natural gas to your electric heat pump. A heat pump operating at 250% efficiency will use just as much natural gas as a furnace operating at 100% efficiency. Modern heat pumps can often exceed 250% efficiency, making them use less natural gas, even if they are ultimately powered by a natural gas burning power plant.
- gooseyman 3y agoI made a note for myself to go do this math. You beat me to it and answered the question. Thank you :) I vaguely recall I did some back of envelope math a couple years back and determined that a natural gas powered heat pump was actually more efficient (in terms of emissions) based on my grid power source mix. Solar breaks that equation obviously.