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Generally a fan of heat pumps but the big issue remains where does the electricity come from to power them. Burning coal or gas to make electricity to power a h

by JCM9 3y ago

Generally a fan of heat pumps but the big issue remains where does the electricity come from to power them. Burning coal or gas to make electricity to power a heat pump isn’t great. Cost wise too I know a bunch of folks that switched from gas to electric heat pumps only to be shocked by their electric bills. Highly efficient natural gas setups remain much better for many settings.

mechagodzilla 3y ago
Given the lifetime of the equipment and the relatively rapid transformation our power grid is undergoing, there are probably few places in the US where a heat pump doesn’t come out significantly on top emissions-wise. With an entirely natural gas grid, you only need a COP of 2 or so to beat the most efficient direct natural gas setups. Ten or fifteen years from now coal generation will probably barely exist in the US and we will have another few hundred GW of wind and solar.
Lutger 3y ago
It isn't great, but perhaps surprisingly so using gas to create electricity and the electricity for a heat pump, is still a lot better than using a regular gas boiler. In other words, you'll get more heat out of a m3 of gas when you use it to create electricity and power a heat pump with the generated electricity, generally speaking. So it is an improvement even if the net is 100% dirty. But it isn't, even in winter we can get a lot of electricity from renewable sources. I think there are two big issues with heat pumps: they are expensive and require well insulated homes. Both problems can be solved.
bluGill 3y ago
My local utility generated more wind electric than all customers used last year. The rest of the US needs to catch up.
ThatPlayer 3y ago
Having multiple possible sources for electricity is an advantage for price stability. For example California's gas prices tripled this time last year. In general I think natural gas prices will continue to go up as people switch to electricity or more efficient gas setups. Less gas usage means additional fees for infrastructure. As prices go up, more people will switch. It's a feedback loop. At some point it won't be worth it to run the infrastructure for natural gas anymore.

by JCM9 3y ago

mechagodzilla 3y ago

Given the lifetime of the equipment and the relatively rapid transformation our power grid is undergoing, there are probably few places in the US where a heat pump doesn’t come out significantly on top emissions-wise. With an entirely natural gas grid, you only need a COP of 2 or so to beat the most efficient direct natural gas setups. Ten or fifteen years from now coal generation will probably barely exist in the US and we will have another few hundred GW of wind and solar.

Lutger 3y ago

It isn't great, but perhaps surprisingly so using gas to create electricity and the electricity for a heat pump, is still a lot better than using a regular gas boiler. In other words, you'll get more heat out of a m3 of gas when you use it to create electricity and power a heat pump with the generated electricity, generally speaking. So it is an improvement even if the net is 100% dirty. But it isn't, even in winter we can get a lot of electricity from renewable sources. I think there are two big issues with heat pumps: they are expensive and require well insulated homes. Both problems can be solved.

bluGill 3y ago

My local utility generated more wind electric than all customers used last year. The rest of the US needs to catch up.

ThatPlayer 3y ago

Having multiple possible sources for electricity is an advantage for price stability. For example California's gas prices tripled this time last year. In general I think natural gas prices will continue to go up as people switch to electricity or more efficient gas setups. Less gas usage means additional fees for infrastructure. As prices go up, more people will switch. It's a feedback loop. At some point it won't be worth it to run the infrastructure for natural gas anymore.