Re: xkcd: Neighbor-Source Heat Pump

On 11/06/25 09:35, Scott Lurndal wrote:

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

On Mon, 9 Jun 2025 15:56:23 -0400, William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com>
wrote:
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Lynn McGuire wrote:

>
<snippo>
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Oil for heating is the worst thing ever.=A0 Expensive and dirty.

>
I can recall a large pile of coal outside my school in grade one.  I=20
presume it was the custodian's job to shovel all that into a furnace.
>
The next fall there was no more coal.  I suspect he was very happy with=20
the change.

>
My parents converted from coal to oil in the early 1950s. I can still
remember my Da digging the hole for the tank. With a shovel.

 
My Uncle (central Wis.) converted from wood to propane in the 70's.
 
One very large convection furnace (called an octopus) in the basement
replaced with a simple propane furnace with integrated air handler.
 
No need to stockpile (fell, buck, cut and split) 10 cords of
oak firewood every year (plenty of trees on the farm).  No need
move wood from the woodpile to the basement every couple of
days.  No need to go down the rickety narrow steep stairs to feed
the fire a few times a day.
 
No more frigid winter nights hoping the warm air would reach
the second floor.

I replaced my vented air fanned bunker-fed coal-burning central heating
in the under the house garage with two large heat pumps in 2015 and
although the financial benefits are marginal in Aotearoa, I have just
installed solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall.
Hot ashes had to be removed from the furnace each morning and stored.
Sometimes the auger would shear its conrod, (six inch nail), if the coal
jammed which it only did on the coldest of nights probably once a month.
Diesel oil for home heating in NZ became pretty expensive back in the
1990's.