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.
Personal anecdote; had a house in a northern US state with a natural gas baseboard heater. Had a mini split heat pump installed for AC in the summer. Installers insisted we wouldn’t need to use the natural gas heater in the winter anymore because “the heat pump is way more efficient.” First slightly cold weather arrived and we used the mini split. About a month later the utility bill arrived. It had gone orbital. Several times what we would normally pay, even in colder months. Immediately turned that thing off and turned the gas heater back on.
Thankfully, now we’re in a slightly warmer climate with a geothermal system for both summer and winter and loving it.
Personal anecdote; had a house in a northern US state with a natural gas baseboard heater. Had a mini split heat pump installed for AC in the summer. Installers insisted we wouldn’t need to use the natural gas heater in the winter anymore because “the heat pump is way more efficient.” First slightly cold weather arrived and we used the mini split. About a month later the utility bill arrived. It had gone orbital. Several times what we would normally pay, even in colder months. Immediately turned that thing off and turned the gas heater back on.
Thankfully, now we’re in a slightly warmer climate with a geothermal system for both summer and winter and loving it.