Heat Pumps: the Future of Home Heating

> no wasted power Electric heating can be much more efficient than what's effectively resistive heating with 500%+ efficiencies being possible. Search for "heat pumps" or watch: this video

> So the heat pumps can also do cooling during the summer? Here's a pair of really great videos about heat pumps and what they can (and could, in the future) do: this video link

This video is a great explainer on heat pumps [1]. The TL;DR is that they are essentially nothing more than air conditioners that run in the opposite direction. Plus, a heat pump and an air conditioner can be combined into a single system. 1: this video

> I'm wondering if there's any low-energy or green solutions to this. The answer is "it depends". How your flat is designed will have an impact on what you can do. But if you are able and willing to do some house work, there is a lot you can have control over. At the end of the day, it's all about how you can control humidity, the flow of hot and cold air and humidity. At your disposal, tools such as conductive materials, insulating materials, etc. Google "passive house" to see the concept and what these things use. With that said. Heat pumps are incredibly efficient, and replacing your heater with a reversible air conditioner which you can then run in both summer and winter will do far more for your overall energy efficiency than anything else you can do. Most of your energy consumption comes from winter-time heating. Start here for a good introduction to heat pumps and how they are so efficient: this video

Our house is electrically heated via a heat pump, which has appreciably more efficiency than a resistance heater (or computer). Here's a neat video about them: this video

There are highly efficient heat pump powered water heaters, going out anywhere remote, these and other heat pump systems should really be used. This is a really great overview this video

Thankfully, you are wrong about that! Just like you don't need a cooler source _from which to source cold_ in the summer with AC. Technology Connections has a fun (well, to me) video on how heat pumps work and are great. Literally just AC units running in reverse, thanks to having a valve. this video

Technology connections did a great video on heat pumps. this video One of the best things is that is an air conditioner you run in reverse to get some heating.

I feel like it's almost a requirement to take this opportunity to share Technology Connections great video [1] on the topic. Personally, I've used a heat pump as the sole heating unit for my house for the past 6 years or so. There have been a few cases where I've opted to use an extra blanket, but overall the results have been pretty impressive, and the cost savings are pretty huge. (Apartment, so no fuel heat, it's electric or nothing) [1] this video

It feels obligatory to reference Technology Connection in a thread about heat pumps. TC is a super fun YouTube channel that digs j to everyday technology and has had a number of episodes on heat pumps and modern thermodynamic management challenges and technologies. this video

They are great if you are looking to use electricity to heat because they are 3 to 4 times more efficient than resistive heaters. It depends on the price of electricity and other heat sources in your area. If you live in the north where temperatures go below -15 Celsius, air-to-air units aren't as great because they lose efficiency as it gets colder outside. My heat pump has a COP of 3, meaning it can generate as much heat as a resistive heater using 1/3 the electricity, but it shuts off at -15 Celsius because below that point it is less efficient than resistive heat. If your heat pump has a COP of 4, you might get to -25 Celsius before it is less efficient than a resistive heater. Better, but more costly, heat pumps use in-ground water, either from a pair of wells, or from a deep pond that won't freeze to the bottom, or from many meters of water pipe buried deep enough beneath your lawn to not freeze in the winter. Because of the depth, they always have access to the earth's heat so they don't lose efficiency in the winter. The Technology Connections YT channel has a couple of good videos about how them: 1. this video 2. link

The wording is bad. It’s moved the equivalent of that energy. Technology connections did a good video on this. this video

He made several excellent videos explaining residential heat pumps: [2021-02-28] this video "Heat Pumps: the Future of Home Heating" (35m14s) [2021-04-01] link "Ground Source / Geothermal Heat Pumps and Other Info" (28m03s) [2022-03-26] link "Why Heat Pumps are Immensely Important Right Now" (21m02s) [2022-04-13] link "Heat Pumps are Not Hard: Here's what it will take to start pumping" (46m32s)

This guy[0] has done quite a few deep dives on heat pumps that cover a lot of the myths (eg they don't work in the cold). It's pretty interesting material if you're thinking about a heat pump. It has always seemed silly to me that we spend money to keep a box of cold (fridge) inside the houses we're spending money to heat in the winter and spend a lot of money to heat up dryers, stoves, etc in the houses we're spending money to cool in the summer. Watching these videos made me think there's a real possibility at some point to have something like a whole home heat pump that just moves heat from where it is to where you want it and in the process reduces the need for systems working against each other to heat/cool specific parts of the house. I understand there's something in commercial settings that has this capability but I'm blanking on the name. 0: this video 1: link

They are a very efficient way to get both AC and Heating: this video link Unless you live in a cold climate, they are worth it for a discounted energy bill =3