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Hidden behind all these words, the guy installs an air conditioner and then starts using it frequently and then complains that his energy usage is higher than b

Hidden behind all these words, the guy installs an air conditioner and then starts using it frequently and then complains that his energy usage is higher than before when he didn't have an air conditioner. Using a heat pump in cooling + heating mode is not a drop-in replacement for a furnace like the author seems to imply, it's also an AC that comes along for the ride!

ghusto 2y ago
The actual title is "I made my home fossil-fuel-free. Why did my utility bills nearly double?", and the heat pump is part of making a home fossil-fuel-free.
- johnea 2y ago
  That's why the OP is commenting that replacing a heater, with a heater _and_ an a/c, is a big part of why the bill will double. heating + cooling > heating alone That said, its also important to point out, that the author is in Berkeley, and electricity costs in California are among the highest in the US. Three major utilities service pretty much the whole state (1/8th of the US population). Regulating them has been a major failure of the California democratic party controlled state governance. The CPUC is a major rant rabbit hole, industry capture is rampant. Disclaimer: I say this being registered "no party" and considering myself left of most people. Gavin's administration in particular has been extremely industry friendly, with a steady reduction in citizen/consumer protection in the face of ever increasing utility profits. Ever since first seeing this article yesterday, I felt it was clickbait. This outcome was 100% known in advance. It's not new news in California that electric heating is more expensive than gas heating. The conversion to heat pump was a great first step (and should also include increased insulation). The next step is battery and solar, in that order. Part of the affordability erosion in CA is the removal of net-metering credit for solar generation. A battery that charges _from_the_utility_ off-peak, and is available to consume during the day, pays for itself faster than solar now! But adding solar in addition to the battery, completes an investment that pays for itself in about 1/2 to 1/3 of it's service lifetime. I know several modest sized homes that generate all of their own electricity consumption, including charging EVs. In comparison, I don't know anyone with their own on-site natural gas production. Electrification is the straightest path to energy independence, and from utility price gouging. Rejection of electrification by the US right is one of it's biggest self-inflicted wounds (except for those that own petroleum companies).

ghusto 2y ago

The actual title is "I made my home fossil-fuel-free. Why did my utility bills nearly double?", and the heat pump is part of making a home fossil-fuel-free.

johnea 2y ago
That's why the OP is commenting that replacing a heater, with a heater _and_ an a/c, is a big part of why the bill will double. heating + cooling > heating alone That said, its also important to point out, that the author is in Berkeley, and electricity costs in California are among the highest in the US. Three major utilities service pretty much the whole state (1/8th of the US population). Regulating them has been a major failure of the California democratic party controlled state governance. The CPUC is a major rant rabbit hole, industry capture is rampant. Disclaimer: I say this being registered "no party" and considering myself left of most people. Gavin's administration in particular has been extremely industry friendly, with a steady reduction in citizen/consumer protection in the face of ever increasing utility profits. Ever since first seeing this article yesterday, I felt it was clickbait. This outcome was 100% known in advance. It's not new news in California that electric heating is more expensive than gas heating. The conversion to heat pump was a great first step (and should also include increased insulation). The next step is battery and solar, in that order. Part of the affordability erosion in CA is the removal of net-metering credit for solar generation. A battery that charges _from_the_utility_ off-peak, and is available to consume during the day, pays for itself faster than solar now! But adding solar in addition to the battery, completes an investment that pays for itself in about 1/2 to 1/3 of it's service lifetime. I know several modest sized homes that generate all of their own electricity consumption, including charging EVs. In comparison, I don't know anyone with their own on-site natural gas production. Electrification is the straightest path to energy independence, and from utility price gouging. Rejection of electrification by the US right is one of it's biggest self-inflicted wounds (except for those that own petroleum companies).