Gernot Wagner"Experts prefer heat pumps, but homeowners have doubts"
I wonder who sows those doubts, contrary to any evidence.
John Maxwell@gwagner Grandpa. First generation heat pumps (1970s) _were_ pretty bad.
Michael Ormsby@gwagner I installed a residential heat pump last year in western US. I’m very happy with it.
Nazani@gwagner
Check with Canadians & Alaskans.
https://earthjustice.org/article/a-cold-alaska-city-has-become-a-heat-pump-hub
Check with Canadians & Alaskans.
https://earthjustice.org/article/a-cold-alaska-city-has-become-a-heat-pump-hub
Troed Sångberg@gwagner Yeah they're welcome over to Sweden to watch ours. No one installs anything but. 24kW ground heat/water here - it can heat anything while not being too expensive to run.
Trouble@gwagner in the California Bay area, mild climate. My monthly energy bill went from $200 in gas to $50 in electricity during the cold winter months. And we use it way more, too (i.e. way more comfortable; fewer sweaters and blankets and less shivering), since we can heat or cool just one room at a time, vs burning 1 therm/hr to heat two humans and a cat. Also, now this is the first time I've ever lived with a cooling system. Bonus: free midday cooling in summer thanks to rooftop PV solar panels.
Walrus 🏴The only people who say anything bad about heat pumps are the ones who want to sell you something else.
MacCruiskeen@gwagner At this point it is less doubt than uncertainty about how to integrate it into the existing structure/space (old/limited). Thinking wall-mounted mini-splits might be the way to go.
CockneyLaurieHalf the issue - those selling/promoting heat pumps INSIST you have to increase your insulation because otherwise you'll save nothing... So is it the heat pump (under current systems and prices of electricity v gas) able to provide the same heat as a traditional gas boiler or do you still need that??
The other half is, as with ALL new products the lottery of getting someone who ACTUALLY knows how to install it or will you end up with a cowboy that's jumped on the bandwagon and cost you a fortune to sort out afterwards.