2 ms·

I didn't downvote this, but I will criticize this analysis: it's good to look at factors beyond COP (although 2 is the lower end of the COP that I would expect

by kibwen 3y ago

I didn't downvote this, but I will criticize this analysis: it's good to look at factors beyond COP (although 2 is the lower end of the COP that I would expect from a heat pump, not the average that I would expect), but this fails to go all the way and look at the ultimate problem: warming potential. And the warming potential of burning natgas in a home is still way higher than using a heat pump powered by a natgas plant, because methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas and because our natgas infrastructure is notoriously leaky.

unbalancedevh 3y ago
By "Warming potential" I guess you mean "contributes more towards global warming," not "I feel warmer with natgas heat"? I had a heat pump in an apartment many years ago, and the big down-side to me at the time was that it felt like it was always blowing cold air on me in the winter. I definitely valued the warm feeling I got from natural gas heat! But I suspect that heat pump design has improved a lot in the last 30 years, so I'd be willing to give it another try.