Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold::Published Monday in the scientific journal Joule, the research found that heat pumps are two to three times more efficient than their oil and gas counterparts, specifically in temperatures ranging from 10 C to -20 C.
They’re only two to three times more efficient if they aren’t frozen solid. Don’t know how it works in Canada, but my mini-split heat pump can’t handle a week of 10F let alone -20 C - sure it will put out some heat, but it absolutely needs to be supplemented with my wood stove. And I live in the South. Maybe there’s some new high tech heat pumps that cost a fortune and don’t freeze over in the insane temps of the great white north?
marsokod@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The Oxford study is really good. But I can’t say the same about this article.
A COP of ~2 is not great for a heat pump, calling this a triumph is really weird. But from a journalist saying that a COP above 1 means the heat pump “creates energy”, I am not sure I should have expected more.
But what’s great is that this COP of 2, while bad, is not catastrophic. That’s still in territory where gas boiler are more cost efficient that a heat pump, but unless you are living in a place that is consistently under -10C for several months, then a heat pump has lower running costs than a gas boiler. And you are starting to hit pretty northern territories with this.
What’s important is also to be able to store heat during the day so that the heat pump runs at its most efficient time. But that can unfortunately coincide with the higher consumption time, so the timing needs to be adjusted properly to avoid using it during consumption peaks.
CountVon@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I actually have a hybrid furnace/heat pump system, and I live in southern Ontario, Canada. The furnace is the auxiliary heat source and it only kicks in when the outdoor temp is below -6C. I’ve only had this system through one winter so far, but I think I could count the number of days the furnace ran without running out of fingers. My electricity bill went up some of course, but my winter gas bill went down a lot.
CoolMatt@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m a 4th year AC/R mechanic born and raise in Southern Ontario, currently in BC.
You mebtioned your hydro was up but gas was down. Out of curiosity, can you tell me how your total cost of heating changed before/after your first winter with your heatpump? Did you end up saving money?
ikidd@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Was there are brand/seer rating restriction with the GHGrant? I just applied and will be going this route, but I don’t want to be paying $15000 for a specific brand or something if I can get similiar equipment that might not be on a list.
p03locke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Even the study could have used some better clarification on geothermal HVACs, which is the direction we should all be heading towards:
No, why?! Gimme the COP on geothermal. Google tells me it’s 3 to 5, but I would have liked a better source.
Regardless, while I understand that we should spread out our solutions, I don’t understand why we’re not talking more about geothermal HVAC systems. Household solar is all the rage, but my gas company is still charging me $25 a month just to have the gas on, never mind the winter costs.
If we’re talking about $5K a hole to dig for geothermal, that seems like a hell of a lot more cost-effective solution than either gas-based HVACs, or these air-based heat pumps. If it’s an area with only mild winters, you probably only need the one hole, which will last for 100 years at least. At most, we’re talking about 3-4 holes for a large house in Canada, and that’s going to pay for itself in 10-15 years.
alvvayson@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Geothermal has advantages, but air source is getting so good that it’s really becoming a niche.
Spending $5K on insulation or heat recovery ventilation will be more effective than spending it on a hole.
I saw an awesome home refurbishment in Montreal, they just went all-in on insulation. The heating was just done with a 500W resistive heating coil, just for the coldest days. They didn’t even have a heat pump, except for the heat pump boiler. The heat recovery ventilation did the rest.
tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.uk 1 year ago
You just contradicted yourself… what did you mean here?
Electricity is 3x the cost of gas, so unless the heat pump has the COP of 3 or above it is more expensive to run. Once you factor in the high cost of installation people aren’t installing these things to save money.
marsokod@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It’s not a contradiction if you put my whole sentence. When it is really cold, a heat pump will be more expensive than a gas boiler. But over a full winter (hence “overall”), the period where it is more efficient make up for it, especially since that when it is bad, it is not that bad.
But you are right to mention the high cost of heat pumps. I would not advise anyone to get a heat pump with a goal of saving money, the return on investment is slow and rather small.