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Why Heat Pumps Are the Future, and How Your Home Could Use One
(www.nytimes.com)
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this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2024
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How is this even a question? Heat pumps have been standard in new homes for at least 40 years now.
Don't know what municipality/region/state/country you're from, but that's not the case here
The article is about NYC where buildings are all much older than 50 years. But for the rest of the country? Everyone has known that heat pumps are more efficient for decades which is why they are standard for all new installs. Unless you live in northern Canada, they save money which is why everyone chooses them. Of course there is backup heat for extreme cold which is why it's always hybrid heatpump with electric or glass backup.
Smart thermostats are what make them really good. In climates where it gets really cold, you need to have a way to switch over from pumping cold air to pumping hot air to using a secondary heat source.
It wouldn't have to be that smart, or even networked. A z80 or 8008 processor would have been plenty. High end systems could have done it in the 70s, with costs coming down quickly through the 80s.
That's standard for all whole house heat pumps and has been for forever. ( as opposed to the mini split heatpumps where it's a heatpump for one room in a house).
Not in all US states and not in all countries. And some climate deniers are even fear-mongering people against heat pumps.
They haven't been standard in colder parts of the US — people use natural gas, propane, or fuel oil depending on where in the country.
I can believe that because many people choose the absolute cheapest solution rather than looking at the 5-10 year cost of ownership.
Technology connections YouTuber is in Chicago and chose a heat pump because it's cheaper. I have a relative in Minnesota and they are on a ground sourced heatpump because it's so much cheaper long term.
There's not much population in the US further north than the middle of Minnesota.
Last time I looked in to it I'd still need a supplemental heater for when it's too cold for the heat pump to be effective (there were a handful of weeks just this/last year where we would be in trouble) in Chicago.
Ground source makes a lot more sense for new construction where you're already digging.
Backup heat is standard with all whole house heat pumps. You pick electric or gas based on cost.
The main reason I'd be hesitant to get one is because I don't really ever set my thermostat to heat. Even during the once-in-a-lifetime freeze a few years ago, we never ran any heaters (granted, we live in an apartment, so only like 2.5 walls are exposed to the outside - would be very different in an actual house, but I'd still rather opt for better insulation, a single space heater, and a heated blanket over spending that same money on a heat pump that does nothing for years at a time).
If you live in an apartment, it's not your choice but the owner's? And a heatpump is an air conditioner in the summer. They cost about the same so why not have the option to heat too?
It's often not even the homeowners choice; gas companies bribe homebuilders to install gas appliances.