3 ms·

> If you live right on the ocean shore you might get a mild enough climate to not need backup, but most of Canada is not that. (though the population may tend t

> If you live right on the ocean shore you might get a mild enough climate to not need backup, but most of Canada is not that. (though the population may tend that way) There are high-efficiency heat pumps that you can use most of the time, and to my knowledge at least in Ontario, most of the heat pump setups I've seen use a heat pump with a back-up heater for days it gets too cold. And that's fine, it saves a ton of money over the course of the year vs. running resistive. 90% of people in Canada live within 100 miles (160km) of the US border and most people live in pretty moderate climates. The low-temperature heat pumps I've seen work down to -20F (-30C). It's not -30C anywhere in Canada people live for much of the year. Even Winnipeg you'll only get into the danger zone a few weeks of the year. If you live in Alert, feel free to stick to resistive.

bluGill 3y ago
Those really cold days matter though. You cannot say a HVAC system is good enough if it doesn't work on the coldest day while the system is installed. Even if it is only for 1 night every 15 years that you get down to -30C - that is not acceptable. Which is why you need some backup system. Even down in Iowa (quite a bit south of Winnipeg) I've seen -30C in the last 10 years.
- arcticbull 3y ago
  In case I wasn't clear (and on re-reading, I may not have been) I mean it shouldn't be advocated for as a means of primary heating. Of course if you need it as a back-up then get it. However, using it once in a while materially changes the economics involved in both mining (negatively) and heating/cooling (positively).