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PG&E electric rates are so high that it's operationally more expensive to use a heat pump than a condensing gas system. The heat pump is the better deal practic
by zbrozek 3y ago
PG&E electric rates are so high that it's operationally more expensive to use a heat pump than a condensing gas system. The heat pump is the better deal practically everywhere else in the contiguous US.
I'm installing a heat pump system in PG&E territory as part of a remodel, but pairing it with a large solar system.
- TheBlight 3y agoAren't PG&E gas rates substantially higher than their electric rates?
- samatman 3y agoThere are a couple ways to interpret what you're saying: that PG&E charges a higher rate relative to the national average for gas vs. electricity, which is what I think you mean, and that PG&E charges more for a joule of gas than a joule of electricity. Presuming you meant it the first way, it's still possible that heating with gas is cheaper, since the national average for a joule's worth of natural gas is quite a bit cheaper than the same for electricity.
- zbrozek 3y agoTheir price per joule of electricity is higher than per joule of gas by more than the coefficient of performance of a heat pump. You are better off getting thermal energy by burning gas if your energy provider is PG&E. The story only gets worse once you start carefully accounting for baseline allowances.
- bagels 3y agoNatural gas is ~$0.08/kwh & electricity $0.52/kwh for me on PGE