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Heat pumps look great and definitely planning on getting one (or many) when my hvac system needs replacing, as well as a heat pump water heater. In NorCal I thi

Heat pumps look great and definitely planning on getting one (or many) when my hvac system needs replacing, as well as a heat pump water heater. In NorCal I think they are a no-brainer since it doesn't get that cold to begin with, though I am unsure of what options exist to replace a central AC/furnace system, or if it is better to get several smaller ones throughout your house. Though I have to laugh since it was only a few years ago there were news articles decrying air conditioning as a climate disaster are now claiming heat pumps are a climate savior...

Slevin11 3y ago
It is technically the correct climate; but unfortunately the incorrect place for them, given the electricity costs and propensity for large power outages during storms (read: times when you actually need heating). If you are in one of the cities with public utilities where electricity is cheap, then go for it, great choice. But on PG&E, the monetary proposition is awful compared to a gas heater, modern wood stove, or masonry / rocket mass heater. Given the extreme excess of wood in the region (that otherwise ends up in huge forest fires), it makes a lot of sense to be running an efficient wood stove / masonry / mass heater. The big loss is of course automation, so it pays to have some automated backup source of heat for when you are out of town, but that could just be whatever heating method you are using already. If you are already heating using electric baseboards though, yes, definitely move over to a heat pump. It will save you a lot of money. Not as much as natural gas or the others, but savings are savings. Also, there are plenty of ducted air source heat pumps that work as drop in replacements for gas furnaces. Use one of them if you already have a ducted system that works well and do a heat pump replacement.
masklinn 3y ago
> Though I have to laugh since it was only a few years ago there were news articles decrying air conditioning as a climate disaster are now claiming heat pumps are a climate savior... Because they’re completely coherent but for some reason you’re not thinking any further than “they’re essentially the same device”?
samatman 3y ago
It's substantially cheaper in energy to cool buildings in the hot parts of the world than it is to heat buildings in the cool parts of the world. I've seen the sort of articles you're referring to, in the US at least, they're thinly-disguised political screeds based on nothing other than the fact that there are more Republicans in the air-conditioned parts of the country.

Slevin11 3y ago

It is technically the correct climate; but unfortunately the incorrect place for them, given the electricity costs and propensity for large power outages during storms (read: times when you actually need heating). If you are in one of the cities with public utilities where electricity is cheap, then go for it, great choice. But on PG&E, the monetary proposition is awful compared to a gas heater, modern wood stove, or masonry / rocket mass heater. Given the extreme excess of wood in the region (that otherwise ends up in huge forest fires), it makes a lot of sense to be running an efficient wood stove / masonry / mass heater. The big loss is of course automation, so it pays to have some automated backup source of heat for when you are out of town, but that could just be whatever heating method you are using already. If you are already heating using electric baseboards though, yes, definitely move over to a heat pump. It will save you a lot of money. Not as much as natural gas or the others, but savings are savings. Also, there are plenty of ducted air source heat pumps that work as drop in replacements for gas furnaces. Use one of them if you already have a ducted system that works well and do a heat pump replacement.

masklinn 3y ago

> Though I have to laugh since it was only a few years ago there were news articles decrying air conditioning as a climate disaster are now claiming heat pumps are a climate savior... Because they’re completely coherent but for some reason you’re not thinking any further than “they’re essentially the same device”?

samatman 3y ago

It's substantially cheaper in energy to cool buildings in the hot parts of the world than it is to heat buildings in the cool parts of the world. I've seen the sort of articles you're referring to, in the US at least, they're thinly-disguised political screeds based on nothing other than the fact that there are more Republicans in the air-conditioned parts of the country.