Fwiw, heat pumps are not comically expensive in operation. They also work in the north of Sweden, so I’m sure that any issues with low temperature operations have been hammered out by now.
I understand that installation can be prohibitively expensive in some markets still though, but this is a problem that can hopefully be addressed.
Yeah, but gas heat still requires electricity, so that argument is not a great one, though repeated often.
Plus you can add a generator and reverse that advantage, as well as batteries. If you have an EV with a large battery that allows power out, that can be used as a good short-term solution.
My house has a natural gas generator. I changed back to a natural gas furnace after my last heat pump burned up. I really like my vents blowing out heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit when it’s cold (currently at 104). I supplement with my wood fireplace sometimes. If I lived somewhere that wasn’t -10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit over the winter I probably wouldn’t care. I also keep my house at 76. I did the heat pump thing for seven years. I don’t even really care about the utility cost at this point in my life. I want my home to be enjoyable and comfortable, it’s where I spend most of my time. The weak ass heat a heat pump puts out is a joke and doesn’t feel as warm even when the thermostat is set the same.
An issue for sure, but one that can be remediated by the distributed nature of local renewable production and energy storage - something that gas by its nature cannot do.
Fwiw, heat pumps are not comically expensive in operation. They also work in the north of Sweden, so I’m sure that any issues with low temperature operations have been hammered out by now.
I understand that installation can be prohibitively expensive in some markets still though, but this is a problem that can hopefully be addressed.
the other problem is that the electricity is less reliable than the gas (currently here).
Yeah, but gas heat still requires electricity, so that argument is not a great one, though repeated often.
Plus you can add a generator and reverse that advantage, as well as batteries. If you have an EV with a large battery that allows power out, that can be used as a good short-term solution.
My house has a natural gas generator. I changed back to a natural gas furnace after my last heat pump burned up. I really like my vents blowing out heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit when it’s cold (currently at 104). I supplement with my wood fireplace sometimes. If I lived somewhere that wasn’t -10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit over the winter I probably wouldn’t care. I also keep my house at 76. I did the heat pump thing for seven years. I don’t even really care about the utility cost at this point in my life. I want my home to be enjoyable and comfortable, it’s where I spend most of my time. The weak ass heat a heat pump puts out is a joke and doesn’t feel as warm even when the thermostat is set the same.
An issue for sure, but one that can be remediated by the distributed nature of local renewable production and energy storage - something that gas by its nature cannot do.