Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there a reason heat pumps use electricity? I would have thought the same approach would work with gas - you only need to burn a fraction of the gas to drive the "fridge" backwards?
You seem to be missing something fundamental here, I’m not sure what it is. How do you think heat pumps work?
Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
251–260 of 766 posts
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
AC is just a heat pump that doesn't give you the option of running it backwards. There can be good and bad implementations of either.
New to heat pumps. Can I replace sub-components of an existing AC system with a heat pump for benefits of both?
Oh and I guess another thing a heatpump has that an AC doesn't is a defrost controller board. You'd need one of those too.
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#253One of the big problems with heat pumps in New England is that our electricity costs 1.7x the US average ( https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.ph... ). If you're in the South, a heat pump makes perfect sense. You're going to want AC anyway and it'll be way more efficient and save a ton of money when you want heat. In most of the country, even if it gets cold your electricity prices are still a t…
Right, the heat pump will reduce energy use to maybe 1/3 of a gas furnace, but natural gas is something like 6x cheaper for the same amount of energy, so it is an expensive folly. If California is serious about this, they need to reign in the utilities to reduce prices and or stop the attacks on solar installation.
Why would they reign in one of the best ways to ensure that Calpers remains solvent?
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#254One of the big problems with heat pumps in New England is that our electricity costs 1.7x the US average ( https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.ph... ). If you're in the South, a heat pump makes perfect sense. You're going to want AC anyway and it'll be way more efficient and save a ton of money when you want heat. In most of the country, even if it gets cold your electricity prices are still a t…
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#255Earlier quoted context omitted.
PGE goes up to 66c/kwh during peak now and in San Diego I think is >70c/kwh. Off peak base is 34c/kwh for PG&E. Gas is $4.5-$5/gal so break even I think ends up being near 50mpg ish for a 300wh/mi EV.
I'm not in CA, so genuinely curious. When you quote 66 cents/kwh is that the marginal rate for an addition kwh or is that averaging in fixed costs? I pay about $20/mo just to have an active service line to my house, even if I were to shut off the breaker and not use any power. But my marginal rate is about 18 cents/kwh. I would call my rate 18 cents but not sure if we are doing an apples to apples comparison.
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#256One of the big problems with heat pumps in New England is that our electricity costs 1.7x the US average ( https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.ph... ). If you're in the South, a heat pump makes perfect sense. You're going to want AC anyway and it'll be way more efficient and save a ton of money when you want heat. In most of the country, even if it gets cold your electricity prices are still a t…
Alright, maybe I’m out of touch, but I don’t think electricity is expensive in California. Even during 115 degree heatwaves in a 70-year-old, 3-bedroom, single-family home. Most I paid was $100 in a month with 2 people with gaming computers working from home. Not everyone has that kind of money, but my point is that most people have cell service and other services which add up to more than electricity costs. That’s f…
Assuming $.40 per kWh, which is lower than my PGE rate, that’s $360 per month just to run the ac.
Not sure what kind of setup you have. $100 is my bill if I’m not home in the winter and leave everything off.
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#257Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#258Anyone know what sort of electrical requirements there are for these? We currently have a gas furnace and gas range. My electrical panel is full (we used up the last of it installing 220V for the clothes dryer), and the furnace is on the opposite side of the house from the electric panel, under a different roofline. I'm going to at some point get an electrician in to look at things and see what the options are, but m…
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#259Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, HVAC contractors in the US massively overcharge. I saved ~ 10k doing the install myself. The equipment is inexpensive, labor can be upwards of 2x equipment cost.
Do you feel like the number of invisible footguns was manageable? That's always my concern with diy trades stuff, the things that seem fine at install but come back to bite you 6mo later.
Re: Nine US states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps
#260Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there a reason heat pumps use electricity? I would have thought the same approach would work with gas - you only need to burn a fraction of the gas to drive the "fridge" backwards?
You seem to be missing something fundamental here, I’m not sure what it is. How do you think heat pumps work?