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263

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[–] • 4 pts

We owned a home with a geothermal heat pump for years and never had a single complaint. We used it to raise the temperature of the house in winter to a point where our wood stove could do the rest, and in the summer to cool it down enough that the AC wouldn't have to work so hard.

In Pennsylvania, no less.

Good insulation is critical. As is the 'delivery' of the heat. We used radiant slabs so the main floor and second floor acted as a solid heating / cooling source for the rooms on each floor.

If I were to build another place from scratch I would do the same, but with newer materials.

[–] • 1 pt

Geothermal and electric heat pumps are two different animals.

Geothermal, you always have the same amount of heat to extract because you're below the frost line in the earth. An electric is essentially a reverse AC unit, but when there's low heat in the air to extract, you have to work super hard to get it out.

[–] • 1 pt

Geothermal and electric heat pumps are two different animals.

Serves me right for responding to a post when I just barely skimmed the article. :-)

[–] [deleted] • 2 pts

Heat pumps are suitable for certain places. That is all. Its not a blanket "unsuitable".

[–] • 0 pt

Yes. Here, where it can get into the -10F range, they aren't that useful.

[–] • 2 pts

Essentially, they don't work well when the ambient temperature drops below 50 degrees fahrenheit. Lower than that, the energy required to extract heat takes more energy than using fossil fuels.

Personally, I have a heat pump/air conditioner, but I've never run it in heating mode. Instead, I use #2 heating oil and/or wood.

I have aversions to processes that use many energy conversions. Burning fuel to produce heat is pretty efficient. The process is simple too. Wood is great since it's renewable and direct. A heat pump is a very complicated process and requires converting electricity into mechanical processes which compress gases into liquids and then fans to move the heat into a room.

When the electrical grid fails, my wood stove still works just fine.

[–] • 1 pt

Only person I know of lives in a small apartment with a wall-mount heat pump that heats and cools. The apartments were originally resistive (electric) heat.

I asked him what happens when it gets to 0F like it does here often in the winter. He said "Resistive heat comes on, energy bill goes back to 200 a month."

[–] • 1 pt

And this is the gist of it all. Most of the time they are way more efficient, sometimes they revert to resistance heat. I’ve seen models be efficient down to near freezing, and some that will work at lower efficiency down another 10-20 degrees.

[–] • 1 pt

Yes. He said that it's amazing when it's like it is right now, 30+F outside, hot days are no problem for cooling. It's just those winter days that it has issues.

[–] • 1 pt

Yep all about heat sources and heat sinks

[–] • 1 pt

Mini splits are full of shit also.