A friendly amendment to your statement, "Heat pumps don’t work well in extreme cold . . . ." They do work well down to about 5 F, but they work LESS EFFICIENTLY at such low temperatures. It also depends on the model. Making use just in time of the generous rebate from Joe Biden that Trump canceled, our landlord installed a next generation heat pump for our apartment and the neighbors above us. We had a very tough winter here in Massachusetts and the heat pump performed beautifully. We are connected to the grid not solar panels, so the electricity charges were pretty high, but we saved a lot from not using natural gas heating, which skyrocketed in cost through state-approved utility rate increases, which everybody is still really mad about here. Our local municipality even also allows us to get our electricity from 100 percent renewable sources. Other experiences may differ, but overall heat pumps outperform fossil fuel systems easily.
Heat pumps are great but a friend had a ground source heat pump installed at great cost but it just doesn't heat the house properly so it has made me very dubious as the cost is huge with new radiators the garden dug up for pipe work and to find it fails to heat the house would be more than disappointing. My husband and I have looked at the air and ground source heat pumps but the expense is crippling. We are great advocates for alternatives to fossil fuels and do worry for the future of the planet and for future generations. Trump and his ilk are pathetic, poorly educated and self-interested. It is really hard to understand why any reasonable person would vote for him surrounding himself we nitwits like Kennedy, Hegsmith and Vance and their like... we are in real trouble if the US continues to vote for lunatics!
I live in Juneau Alaska and heat pumps work well here, where winter temperatures routinely run in the 20 degree Fahrenheit and as low as -5. They are being used increasingly to replace oil as the principal heat source in homes. Conversions are expensive, but of course the cost to heat becomes very cheap so a reasonable exchange.
A number of years ago I had a large heat pump installed to use primarily for cooling and as a back up for heating if hubby & I were too infirm to bring in wood for our ultra low emmission wood burner. When we moved here 20 years ago we quickly became aware that we'd overheat in our early 70s house with huge north & east facing windows & doors (I live in NZ). So, I planted several deciduous trees to provide shade in summer. They finally reached enough height about 5 years ago. On very hot days comng home to the lovely shade they provide is a blessing and I swear the temperature is several degrees cooler. About 8 years ago I added a 9 meter retractable awning to shade the west-facing patio. All of these things have helped make our home more comfortable in the heat and solar panels help provide the extra power needed for the cooling. Hopefully, governments that care about the health and wellbeing of their people will make if financially possible for those on low incomes to be able to at least purchase heat pumps.
There was a Horizon TV programme some years back about "global dimming". Pollution reflects sunlight but as we reduce pollution more sunlight hits the earth. So as we reduce pollution we accelerate global warming. It's an interesting watch and once again proves that nothing is simple.
As a suggestion, a discussion with Brent Toderian (Canadian urban planner). His work with Paris’s former mayor Anne Hildago on pedestrianizing and creating more green canopy to help cool warming cities is something more people should be aware of.
Apparently it’s hot in Europe. It wouldn’t be any cooler if Kamala had won the election. This is the new normal. Get used to it and adapt. The next ice age cometh.
A friendly amendment to your statement, "Heat pumps don’t work well in extreme cold . . . ." They do work well down to about 5 F, but they work LESS EFFICIENTLY at such low temperatures. It also depends on the model. Making use just in time of the generous rebate from Joe Biden that Trump canceled, our landlord installed a next generation heat pump for our apartment and the neighbors above us. We had a very tough winter here in Massachusetts and the heat pump performed beautifully. We are connected to the grid not solar panels, so the electricity charges were pretty high, but we saved a lot from not using natural gas heating, which skyrocketed in cost through state-approved utility rate increases, which everybody is still really mad about here. Our local municipality even also allows us to get our electricity from 100 percent renewable sources. Other experiences may differ, but overall heat pumps outperform fossil fuel systems easily.
Heat pumps are great but a friend had a ground source heat pump installed at great cost but it just doesn't heat the house properly so it has made me very dubious as the cost is huge with new radiators the garden dug up for pipe work and to find it fails to heat the house would be more than disappointing. My husband and I have looked at the air and ground source heat pumps but the expense is crippling. We are great advocates for alternatives to fossil fuels and do worry for the future of the planet and for future generations. Trump and his ilk are pathetic, poorly educated and self-interested. It is really hard to understand why any reasonable person would vote for him surrounding himself we nitwits like Kennedy, Hegsmith and Vance and their like... we are in real trouble if the US continues to vote for lunatics!
I live in Juneau Alaska and heat pumps work well here, where winter temperatures routinely run in the 20 degree Fahrenheit and as low as -5. They are being used increasingly to replace oil as the principal heat source in homes. Conversions are expensive, but of course the cost to heat becomes very cheap so a reasonable exchange.
A number of years ago I had a large heat pump installed to use primarily for cooling and as a back up for heating if hubby & I were too infirm to bring in wood for our ultra low emmission wood burner. When we moved here 20 years ago we quickly became aware that we'd overheat in our early 70s house with huge north & east facing windows & doors (I live in NZ). So, I planted several deciduous trees to provide shade in summer. They finally reached enough height about 5 years ago. On very hot days comng home to the lovely shade they provide is a blessing and I swear the temperature is several degrees cooler. About 8 years ago I added a 9 meter retractable awning to shade the west-facing patio. All of these things have helped make our home more comfortable in the heat and solar panels help provide the extra power needed for the cooling. Hopefully, governments that care about the health and wellbeing of their people will make if financially possible for those on low incomes to be able to at least purchase heat pumps.
There was a Horizon TV programme some years back about "global dimming". Pollution reflects sunlight but as we reduce pollution more sunlight hits the earth. So as we reduce pollution we accelerate global warming. It's an interesting watch and once again proves that nothing is simple.
As a suggestion, a discussion with Brent Toderian (Canadian urban planner). His work with Paris’s former mayor Anne Hildago on pedestrianizing and creating more green canopy to help cool warming cities is something more people should be aware of.
Thank you. Great idea
Apparently it’s hot in Europe. It wouldn’t be any cooler if Kamala had won the election. This is the new normal. Get used to it and adapt. The next ice age cometh.