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Author might be forgiven, considering the quality of available information online: > Heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air condi

Author might be forgiven, considering the quality of available information online: > Heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners > Because they transfer heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can efficiently provide comfortable temperatures https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-systems https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-systems > heat pumps tend to be more energy efficient than an AC https://bkvenergy.com/blog/heat-pump-vs-central-air/ https://bkvenergy.com/blog/heat-pump-vs-central-air/ Of course those sites don't cite a source. It's probably AI generated. Apparently this is a widespread confusion. My guess is they are comparing heat pump for both heating and cooling to conventional furnace/AC system, not just "for cooling" only.

CorrectHorseBat 2y ago
Ground-water heat pumps can passively cool making them more efficient than traditional AC
sidewndr46 2y ago
I can't say I agree with this author, but this problem goes back many years: https://www.treehugger.com/why-are-there-so-many-fist-pumps-for-heat-pumps-these-days-5191393 https://www.treehugger.com/why-are-there-so-many-fist-pumps-... People seem to think heatpumps are some mystical woo-woo new-wave energy healing device or something like that. It's an air conditioner. That's it.
- tharkun__ 2y ago
  Not in the sense most people use the word "AC" or air conditioner. If you mean it by what it actually does, it conditions the air to be cooler or warmer or have less relative humidity, then yes. In typical NA applications anyway if we are talking a specific kind (ones you hook up to potentially existing forced air system ducts or mini split types with in room units blowing conditioned air). We heat with our mini split in winter and we cool with it in summer. And I'm in Canada so it gets pretty cold in winter. And if I said we had our "air conditioner" running in winter people would look at me strange.
  - toast0 2y ago
    A heat pump isn't more efficient than an air conditioner at cooling, because they're the same thing except a heat pump has a reversing valve. For heating, running your air condition with a reversing valve so it cools outside and heats inside is often more efficient than a furnace, so that is nice... But irrelevant if we're talking about it being too hot.
    - tharkun__ 2y ago
      And how does any of this apply to my comment? I said nothing about any of that. I was commenting on the use of the word "air conditioning" for heating. Which is technically true but not used in that way by like literally anybody. In any regular use of the word AC it implies cooling. Again, to be clear, yes the phrase is usable both ways. No regular person will use it that way. Get used to it instead of making technically correct points that don't help anyone.

CorrectHorseBat 2y ago

Ground-water heat pumps can passively cool making them more efficient than traditional AC

sidewndr46 2y ago

I can't say I agree with this author, but this problem goes back many years: https://www.treehugger.com/why-are-there-so-many-fist-pumps-for-heat-pumps-these-days-5191393 https://www.treehugger.com/why-are-there-so-many-fist-pumps-... People seem to think heatpumps are some mystical woo-woo new-wave energy healing device or something like that. It's an air conditioner. That's it.

tharkun__ 2y ago
Not in the sense most people use the word "AC" or air conditioner. If you mean it by what it actually does, it conditions the air to be cooler or warmer or have less relative humidity, then yes. In typical NA applications anyway if we are talking a specific kind (ones you hook up to potentially existing forced air system ducts or mini split types with in room units blowing conditioned air). We heat with our mini split in winter and we cool with it in summer. And I'm in Canada so it gets pretty cold in winter. And if I said we had our "air conditioner" running in winter people would look at me strange.
- toast0 2y ago
  A heat pump isn't more efficient than an air conditioner at cooling, because they're the same thing except a heat pump has a reversing valve. For heating, running your air condition with a reversing valve so it cools outside and heats inside is often more efficient than a furnace, so that is nice... But irrelevant if we're talking about it being too hot.
  - tharkun__ 2y ago
    And how does any of this apply to my comment? I said nothing about any of that. I was commenting on the use of the word "air conditioning" for heating. Which is technically true but not used in that way by like literally anybody. In any regular use of the word AC it implies cooling. Again, to be clear, yes the phrase is usable both ways. No regular person will use it that way. Get used to it instead of making technically correct points that don't help anyone.