Re: xkcd: Neighbor-Source Heat Pump

On 6/8/2025 9:18 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:

On 6/8/2025 3:41 PM, Mark Jackson wrote:

On 6/8/2025 1:00 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:

Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> writes:

>

Seattle has been pushing heat pumps to replace oil furnaces for at
least one and probably two decades or so. One of the "advantages" they
claim for them is "free air conditioning".
>
This, of course ignores two factors:
>
1. If heat pumps that do not also cool are available and cost less,
the A/C is not "free" but part of the purchase price.

>
Your predicate isn't true, so your conclusion doesn't follow.
>

>

2. In any case, since heat pumps run on electricity, the A/C is not
"free" at all.

>

However, the compressor required for air conditioning comes with
all heat pump furnaces, so the user doesn't need to purchase a
separate compressor.  That's the 'free' part.

>
Given Seattle's climate it's more than likely that the electricity used running the heat pump year-around will cost less than what the oil costs for heating alone.
>

and suggests that the push to heat pumps is a bit ... dishonest.

>
Not at all.

>
Less dishonest than most marketing.

 Oil for heating is the worst thing ever.  Expensive and dirty.
 Lynn
 

We had heat pumps installed in our 1840's house a few years ago.
Getting whole-house AC was a huge bonus to reducing our heating bill.
I'm in New England, and it can get well below zero in winter, so
we've retained the older oil heating system (but shut down the
original four fireplaces), for when it gets too cold for the pumps.
pt