Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold::Published Monday in the scientific journal Joule, the research found that heat pumps are two to three times more efficient than their oil and gas counterparts, specifically in temperatures ranging from 10 C to -20 C.
That’s great, but fossil fuels are often available in the event of a power outage, and that can save lives during a winter storm. Availability is just as important as efficiency, and until we can make our power grid more resilient, we need to factor that in.
The vast majority of gas boilers use electronics to function. In a powercut they are also dead.
Now if you’re talking diesel generator back ups, then far enough.
There are tons of non electronic gas heaters. I have one in my basement just for power outages so we can stay alive in the winter if we don’t have power. But I do think for majority of heating and cooling I would love to rip out my central furnace and replace with heat pumps but the cost is too great ATM. I have two heat pumps now, one in my garage and one in my top floor where the furnace could never reach.
I have propane heat- a small generator will power the fans while the propane provides the actual heat. The generator wouldn’t be able to handle a whole heat pump though. I do lose power a lot and lost it for 4 days straight last Jan. This situation isn’t without merit.
Even gas stoves won’t work when the power is down, for the same reason.
Heard of a match?
Some won’t let gas flow if there is no electricity.
If you want to heat air and move it around you’re gonna want a fan, which will need electricity. My gas heat is no good when the power is out.
Provided the pressure is maintained from the outside, mine would work fine with a match.
Mine had a safety valve, which was unfortunately electronically controlled.
RIP
We’re also going to run out of oil in the next 40-45 years, so we should factor that in.
I have a duel fuel system (heat pump + gas furnace) which, while more expensive, is really the best of both worlds.
In a power outage I can plug in a generator and get the furnace running.
If temps drop too low and the heat pump is struggling I can switch to the furnace.
I can choose which to run based on current energy costs.
When looking into heat pumps everyone told me they don’t work well in the northeast or they would be more expensive to run here. I found it really difficult to get an accurate estimate of the cost difference between running a heat pump vs a gas furnace. Ultimately I decided to go dual fuel for flexibility but after comparing my bills before and after I almost wish I’d gone with a hyper heat unit so it could run at lower outdoor temps because the heat pump has turned out to be cheaper but I can’t run it at low temps.
I think HVAC techs in this area are weary of them based on past experience with older units but they really have improved in recent years.
If you live in an area where power outages are common enough that you need a backup generator: Sure. but also learn how to properly install that (an improperly installed backup generator can injure or kill the utility workers trying to fix an outage) and how to safely operate it (carbon monoxide, yo). Also how to properly store the fuel and how to maintain the generator so it works for more than one year… and you don’t set your garage on fire.
Although, there are also arguments for solar power and the associated battery storage in those cases. Similarly, vehicle to load which turns a car into a battery in the event of isolated blackouts.
But if there is a power outage, the grid is already not “resilient”. So…
I wonder who the fuck is downvoting these comments. LOL - “NO FOSSIL FUELS, YOU MUST DIE IN A POWER OUTAGE!”