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Heat pumps rule!
That's great news! I wish you would also see an increase in spending for public transit from cities. It's one of the cheapest ways you can help your most vulnerable while fighting climate change.
It's one of the cheapest ways you can help your ~~most vulnerable~~ people while fighting climate change.
Corrected that. So long as we think of, or even imply, that transit is for the poor only we will never fix things.
The other mistake people commonly making around transit is thinking it is for getting to work at your 9-5 job downtown. If you don't work downtown, or work odd shifts downtown, are going shopping/to eat/church/the ball game... - you should be driving a car like "normal people" (not walking or riding a bike either).
We need to change how transit is viewed, both by society and by those in power in transit. Transit should be able to cover the vast majority of trips in any city. However most transit is setup for people going to work and isn't useful for other trips. Things are a little better in Europe or Asia, but they have plenty of problems too and should working fixing their issues not making themselves feel good because at least they are better than North America.
Wasn't my intention to imply that it was only for them, simply that it is an effective tool in fighting our widening poverty crisis. Nevertheless, I agree with your sentiment, It would be better if everyone considered public transit and bicycle a legitimate transportation solution.
Montreal recently expanded their REM network of passenger trains, it runs often and it's extensive. I wish more places would follow suit. Biking is actually my favorite way to get around too especially when there's properly protected bike lanes.
Bought our first full BEV (we also have a plugin hybrid) a month ago, and we're replacing the 40 year old gas furnaces with heat pumps next week.
Might as well have some nice things before the world collapses.
Bought our first electric car this year and will never go back to Diesel. If heat pumps weren’t so expensive I’d have one installed tomorrow.
Curious what the cheaper alternative is - what country are you from? Where I am we don't call them 'heat pumps', they are just reverse cycle air conditioners and it's the standard.
I’m in the UK, short-term cheaper alternative is keeping your existing gas boiler until it breaks down… so roughly 20-30 years. The government gives £7,500 towards a heat pump but that has resulted in prices staying artificially high and virtually every install for a 3-4 bed home comes in at £10,000. A new gas boiler is around £1,500-£2,000. Due to some other short sightedness, any heat pump which also cools is not eligible for the £7,500 grant, which is really problematic when temperatures keep rising.
any heat pump which also cools is not eligible
That's seriously stupid - it's the same thing except it can reverse the refrigerant flow to transfer heat energy outside vs inside.
To much backward thinking to plan for needing the ability to cool, especially given your heatwaves over the past few years.
I'm in Australia and I don't think you can buy just a (heater) heat pump. They're pretty cheap too - you can find split system reverse cycle easily for under £500 each.
any heat pump which also cools is not eligible for the £7,500 grant
This was changed last month, but I think only for air to air systems. Any air to air system which happens to also provide cooling is also included now I believe.
I’m not sure this did change, at least I can’t find any reference to it, other than a potential proposal.
I am genuinely waiting for the grants to finish (or be updated), as it feels like all the installation companies just hiked their prices to take advantage of the grants. I've got the power run, massive radiators, and thick pipes, all ready to roll.
The big one that will really push HPs, imo, will be if gas starts to rise in price relative to electricity.
At the moment, it's about level in cost to run, even though a HP is 3x+ more efficient.
I just did a check on Heat Geek the other day for my house. It'd cost me £7,500 on top of the grant to convert the place to a heat pump 😭
We had one added and also solar and batteries all in one go. It was around £12k in total I think. Check out Octopus energy Heat pumps if you have a momnet. They are more cost effective and also 0% load for a couple of years. They are doing good things to get more people to switch over. I personally had mine before they started making theirs, but I know a few people that are happy with theirs
Not from the uk but 12k seems spectacularly low for the whole thing installed.
That was after the government grant. So it would have been a lot more than that. But my cost was 12k
That depends on what pump you're using and for what. We installed one this year that handles heating and hot water, but is currently not plugged in to do AC (it can do it, the rest of the installation just can't support it).
I don't think anybody refers to those as reverse cycle AC. Certainly none of our installers or the people handing the government grants we got as part of the process. That's generally used to refer to window units that can do both heat and cold air. Maybe Americans use the term for their crazy outdoor towers to do centralized air heating and cooling? I wouldn't know.
I’d love an electric car if I wasn’t living in a third world country.
I don’t have a way to charge them in my condo and the infrastructure outside of the main city here is almost 0 if not actually 0.
I was close to considering one until my wife and I took a trip about 5 hrs outside of the city and I realized that there would have been no way to drive there and back in the electric car.
I guess it would be possible, but I’d have to do a bunch of planning and calling around to secure a place to charge and it might not even be possible if the hotel or destination will not allow it.
That is why I have a PHEV. I have a place to charge at home (unlike you), and on longer trips gas is still everywhere.
I use my ebike to get to work, but most places in the city are not a reasonable time via ebike so I have a truck that I use once/month when my wife is using the car (some of those trips need a truck).
An electric bicycle, scooter, or vespa might be easier
Do you have scooters? Maybe you can start with an election scooter, the batteries can be brought in and charged there.
Or don't, I only use bike and public transportation
I only drive like 2 times a week. Otherwise I can walk most places luckily.
What's the infrastructure like, is that walking comfortable or dangerous, too much smog or whatever?
Where do you live? I know for a lot of people it is starting to become possible. But until the infrastructure is right, it isnt for everyone.
I don’t prefer to share where I live, but outside of the cities it can be super rural.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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