3 ms·

Depends, if you are turning that electricity into heat using a heat-pump you might win on most situations (maybe lose if the weather is really cold outside, unl

Depends, if you are turning that electricity into heat using a heat-pump you might win on most situations (maybe lose if the weather is really cold outside, unless you add geothermal loops, but then its a lot more expensive to make)

fhn 2mo ago
No it wouldn't depend. Electricity generation and electricity transfer has losses. Gas transfer has loss only if there is a leak.
- Tuna-Fish 2mo ago
  The ceiling is not 100% efficient, when you have a heat pump. Also, the US residential gas infrastructure leaks ~1% of the gas it moves. That sounds like nothing, until you account for how unburnt ch4 is ~80 times worse than co2 on a timescale of 20 years.
- andruby 2mo ago
  Heat pumps have a COP value of around 4 to 5 (10 to 15C outdoor) and 3 (0C outdoor). The seasonal COP (or SCOP) measures the efficiency over a whole season, and that typically sits around 3 to 4. That means that for 1kWh of electricity a heat pump delivers 3 to 4kWh of heat to the house. Burning gas to heat a home means "1kWh" of gas, delivers ~1kWh of heat. Modern gas power plants are about 55 to 60% efficient, so "1kWh" of gas becomes ~0.57kWh of electricity, which after transport losses (-6%) arrives at the home as 0.52kWh, which gets turned into 1.5 to 2.0kWh of heat. => It's almost two times as efficient to turn gas into electricity and use heat pumps in the home
- gabrielhidasy 2mo ago
  But a gas burning furnace can have 100% efficiency, that is trash compared to what I get from a heat pump considering a gas power-plant (60%) * national grid efficiency (90%) * heat-pump 500% efficiency where I am (combined efficiency around 270%, or 2.7 times the gas furnace). The only gas-based solution to get close would be using a gas generator at home (30%) to power the 500% heat-pump, and routing the 70% of waste heat inside (to get a combined 220% efficiency). But that heavily depends on the heat-pump efficiency, which will depend on your ambient heat and instalation.

fhn 2mo ago

No it wouldn't depend. Electricity generation and electricity transfer has losses. Gas transfer has loss only if there is a leak.

Tuna-Fish 2mo ago
The ceiling is not 100% efficient, when you have a heat pump. Also, the US residential gas infrastructure leaks ~1% of the gas it moves. That sounds like nothing, until you account for how unburnt ch4 is ~80 times worse than co2 on a timescale of 20 years.
andruby 2mo ago
Heat pumps have a COP value of around 4 to 5 (10 to 15C outdoor) and 3 (0C outdoor). The seasonal COP (or SCOP) measures the efficiency over a whole season, and that typically sits around 3 to 4. That means that for 1kWh of electricity a heat pump delivers 3 to 4kWh of heat to the house. Burning gas to heat a home means "1kWh" of gas, delivers ~1kWh of heat. Modern gas power plants are about 55 to 60% efficient, so "1kWh" of gas becomes ~0.57kWh of electricity, which after transport losses (-6%) arrives at the home as 0.52kWh, which gets turned into 1.5 to 2.0kWh of heat. => It's almost two times as efficient to turn gas into electricity and use heat pumps in the home
gabrielhidasy 2mo ago
But a gas burning furnace can have 100% efficiency, that is trash compared to what I get from a heat pump considering a gas power-plant (60%) * national grid efficiency (90%) * heat-pump 500% efficiency where I am (combined efficiency around 270%, or 2.7 times the gas furnace). The only gas-based solution to get close would be using a gas generator at home (30%) to power the 500% heat-pump, and routing the 70% of waste heat inside (to get a combined 220% efficiency). But that heavily depends on the heat-pump efficiency, which will depend on your ambient heat and instalation.