#Heat Pump

[reasonsforhope]

"Governor Janet Mills announced that Maine has, two years ahead of time, surpassed its goal of installing 100,000 new heat pumps by 2025, a milestone that represents significant progress in reducing Maine’s reliance on heating oil, lowering heating costs, and curbing harmful carbon emissions.

To continue Maine’s momentum, Governor Mills also unveiled a new target: installing another 175,000 additional heat pumps in Maine by 2027, thereby bringing the number of heat pumps installed in Maine homes, businesses, and public buildings during her time in office to 275,000.

If this target is achieved, Maine would have more than 320,000 heat pumps in total installed across the state.

Heat pumps can be thought of as temperature recycling machines. They are filled with refrigerant fluid and contain a compressor, and they work by extracting excess heat and moving it around, either in or out of a house depending on whether it’s hot or cold.

It’s believed they work best in hot weather, but in February, Maine’s temperatures in some places plummeted during a cold snap to -60°F. Efficiency Maine, which aided in the state’s adoption of heat pumps by organizing rebates for customers under the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, did a survey of owners they had helped the previous year.

Many of [the heat pump owners] reported they were comfortable and warm, and offered to bring up the fact that by February they had already saved hundreds of dollars on home heating systems, over boilers, gas furnaces, and heating oil.

“We are setting an example for the nation,” said Mills at the announcement event. ​“Our transition to heat pumps is… curbing our reliance on fossil fuels, and cutting costs for Maine families, all while making them more comfortable in their homes—a hat trick for our state.”

The transition began in 2019 with bipartisan support of the Legislature, when Governor Mills enacted laws setting ambitious targets for transitioning to renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

-via Good News Network, July 31, 2023

[adorkabletwilightandfriends]

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[todays-xkcd]

If I'm not going to upgrade to a powered one, I should at LEAST stop leaving the door open so often.

Heat Pump [Explained]

[netscapenavigator-official]

It’s honestly crazy that it took heat pumps this long to gain attention over resistive heaters when they’re literally just reverse air conditioners. Like, you could install a window AC unit backwards, and congratulations, you have the world’s first window unit heat pump. But noooo. Let’s spend copious amounts of electricity to generate trivial amounts of heat, or better yet, burn a toxic gas and give our children asthma. That’s soooo much better than adding a reversal valve to the technology we all already have installed in our homes, that’s been around since the nineteen-fucking-hundreds.

[cherryblossomshadow]

You Don't Want a Gas Stovetop

vlogbrothers, Hank Green

.

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Transcript (emphasis mine):

Good morning, John. I've had a half a cup of coffee, and I'm going to do something I almost never do I'm going to make an unscripted video about a thing that I care very passionately about

You watching this video need to not want a gas stove

Why? Because they suck!

Here's the thing that you are right about. The curlicue heating element stoves, they are the worst. They're hard to clean, they're extremely hard to control, like you cannot turn them on and off quickly. They take forever to heat up, they take forever to cool down

Now what happened is the stove top and natural gas industry made it so that what takes the place of that in your brain is a natural gas stove that has like the little blue flames – they're so beautiful – that like Gordon Ramsay used. But what you're doing when you have a natural gas stove is burning stuff in your home! Which results in, get this, decreased indoor air quality. How you can get around this by like having your fume hood like going full blast and certainly never have a natural gas stove that doesn't have a hood. Or get this?! You can have an induction stovetop that has more power and is easier to control than natural gas!

Chances are, there are three pipes connected to your house. There's the one that brings you water, that one's important. The one that takes the water away, we also want that. And the one that brings you methane. What century is this?!

It would be like having the gas station bring the gasoline directly to your car. Like this is a bad idea!

Now I know what you're thinking, “Hank. There is no way that cooking my hellofresh is significantly adding to climate change.” And you're right

But here's the thing, household natural gas use is a big contributor to climate change, it's just not mostly the stove top. However when natural gas companies ask people how they feel about switching their furnace from gas to electric or their water heater from gas to electric, they're like, “I don't care, whichever is better, I don't know.” Because you currently have a really efficient way to get power into your home that isn't a pipe full of methane! It's a power line! And there are great electric water heaters, and there are great electric furnaces and heat pumps, but people say, “I want my natural gas stove.” But that's a tiny percentage of the methane that is actually being sold by the gas company. Almost all of it is used in furnaces and water heaters. But as long as people are like, “I want to keep my gas stove, it's harder to clean, it makes the air inside my house dirty, but House Hunters says that it's a top tier product,” people will keep having the natural gas companies build and replace this extremely expensive infrastructure to pipe gas into our homes!

And gas companies are freaking out about this. They're doing all these campaigns about how great gas ranges are, even though they are objectively worse. Because if they can keep that toehold, they can make it make sense to keep giving you gas for those other things that electric could easily replace. But look electric could also easily replace your stove, because induction stove tops are better than gas!

And so one of the most important things that you can do as a person who's concerned about climate change is take the little thing out of your brain that says, “gas stoves are the best kind of stove,” and look at it and be like, “you're a freaking idiot.” Then you throw it onto your induction stove top and nothing happens, because that's not how it works. It induces the heat in the pan. The stove top itself doesn't get hot cuz they're amazing. So you have to put it into a pan, put that on the stove top, fry it up, and have it with butter … This is why I script. That right there, is why I script, so that doesn't happen!

…

It's not important that you replace your gas stove right now. In fact, it's probably best that you don't. It's important that you don't think it's better than induction because it's not. Because at some point in the future, someone's going to knock on your door and say, “This area is about to have its natural gas pipes replaced, and we have to decide whether or not to replace them with infrastructure that will last 60 to 80 years.” And if a bunch of people in your neighborhood say, “Well, I would, but I really like my gas stove top,” it's not going to happen, and we're going to keep burning methane in people's houses for 80 years! I would be sympathetic if gas were better but it's not!

[tenaciousgay]

Hear me out, Heat pumps combined with solar panels work. Even some of the most conservative people I know of who within the last year had their house converted to run on such a system, suddenly changed their tune about solar panels and green energy. Why? Because it saved them money heating and powering their oversized house.

But now they are opposed to the idea of it being rolled out to poor people too, for free, paid for by the Apple Tax surplus. We could give every home in this country cheaper energy and offset their carbon emissions. But neoliberals don't want that. They get so offended at the idea of helping poor people reduce their costs.

And to add insult to injury, these will be the same people who will browbeat poor people when the EU fines us for our emissions with their "we're all in this together" crap. We aren't.

[queerbrownvegan]

Sustainable Jobs Episode 02 - Future Of Heat Pumps!

I am excited to share that the second episode of my Sustainable Jobs web series is now live and featuring the wonderful @harvestthermal 🥳 🎉

A company transforming home heating to reduce emissions by 90% and saving energy costs through their heat pump and thermal battery system!

This tech is paving the way for clean energy solutions, and I can’t wait for you to learn more about it’s impact in our homes. A huge thank you to the Founders Jane Melia, Ph.D. & Pierre Delforge who welcomed me into their home to introduce me to their system.

Energy access is essential to me because millions of Americans struggle with the cost of living in a world where rising energy bill costs are increasing. One way homeowners can take action is by powering their homes to be sustainable through electrification. I got to learn about the duck curve, the issue with our energy industry today and how we can shift away from natural gas in our homes!

Thank you to my friend trent wolbe, who loved the idea of the Sustainable Jobs web series and believed in my mission to showcase to young people the number of sustainable careers that are paving the way for a bright ecological future.

Tune in the link in my bio to watch the full episode.

Credits: Host: Isaias Hernandez Producer: Isaias Hernandez Videography: Fine Grain Pictures (@finegrainpictures ) Post Production: Stranded Astronaut Productions (@strandedastronaut )

Check out the full episode below

[arizonaacandheating]

https://www.arizonaacandheating.com/service-areas/goodyear-ac-heating/

Goodyear Arizona AC, Heating, HVAC, Air Conditioning Contractor

If you are looking for a reliable, honest, experienced, and fair-priced HVAC, Heating, and Air Conditioning Contractor in Goodyear, Arizona, you have found them! Introducing Arizona AC & Heating, your local HVAC experts for residential and commercial air conditioning and heating, including AC Units, split systems, roof-top package units, heat pumps, gas furnaces, and air handlers. We are an Authorized Trane Installation and Warranty Service company serving Goodyear, Arizona. We service all makes and models of air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and air handling systems. Find out why Arizona AC & Heating is the BEST in the WEST… Valley! Cold Air or Heat - We Can't Be Beat!

Contact Arizona AC & Heating in Goodyear, Arizona

[thoughtportal]

Few climate technologies have ever had a moment quite like the one heat pumps are currently enjoying.

While the share of electric vehicles and induction stoves sales may be growing, they still represent a sliver of all cars and stoves sold respectively. US heat pump sales, though, surpassed those of gas furnaces last year as the tech of choice to keep homes comfortable.

The sudden rise of the heat pump may have you wondering: what actually are they, how do they work, and are there incentives that can help lower the price?

What does a heat pump do?

Calling it a “heat pump” is perhaps a bit misleading. That’s because heat pumps both heat and cool your home depending on the season. To do this, they use electricity rather than methane gas, cutting down harmful greenhouse gas emissions and public health and safety concerns.

“It sounds like magic,” said Vince Romanin, the founder of window heat pump startup Gradient. Spoiler: it’s just physics.

How do they work?

The short answer is they work by moving – pumping, if you will – heat from one place to another. It’s actually the same thing that air conditioners do: they pump heat out of your house and draw cool air in. If you’ve ever stood outside next to an air conditioner, you can feel that heat being pushed out. A heat pump can do that same task in summer, but in winter, it also has the ability to reverse the process and pull heat in from the outside into your home. Some heat pumps, called ground source heat pumps, use the ground outside a home as a place to pull or dump heat.

Are heat pumps better than gas furnaces?

In many cases, yes. They’re wildly more efficient. It’s a lot easier to move heat around rather than creating it from scratch by lighting gas on fire and then blowing the resulting heat around. Romanin noted that heat pumps are 300% more efficient than gas furnaces.

“It is ridiculous to burn a fossil fuel at thousands of degrees to heat up your apartment by 10 to 20 degrees. It’s a crime against the laws of thermodynamics,” he said.

That efficiency can translate to cost savings. An analysis by Carbon Switch found switching from a gas furnace to a heat pump would save the average US household $557 a year on its home energy bill.

Beyond efficiency, it’s also much safer to not pipe gas into your home on a regular basis due to a range of public health and safety impacts. Improperly installed or maintained ventilation systems can result in pollution being sucked up into your home. Then there’s the danger of a flammable material being transported to and ignited in your basement.

We haven’t even gotten to the climate benefits yet. A study released last year found that replacing gas furnaces with heat pumps in every US home could cut carbon emissions by up to 53%. Meanwhile, the Carbon Switch analysis found home emissions would drop by 142m metric tons.

Do heat pumps work in cold weather?

Yes. Mostly.

The conventional wisdom has been that air source heat pumps don’t work well in cold weather, because it’s hard to extract heat from extremely cold air. Some systems also use energy-intensive forms of heating to prevent their icing up, cutting into efficiency gains. Ground source heat pumps have an easier time since the ground temperature remains fairly constant.

But “it’s astonishing what manufacturers, what universities have been able to do”, said Subhrajit Chakraborty, an R&D engineer at the University of California, Davis’s Western Cooling Efficiency Center.

Air source heat pumps have gotten much more efficient at capturing heat even when it’s sub-zero outside. This year, Energy Star, a US government program promoting energy-efficient appliances, launched a cold-climate rating for heat pumps. A database kept by the non-profit Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships shows there are more than 1,400 models that fit the bill.

Real-world tests in cold climates from Maine to Minnesota show that heat pumps can operate in some of the harshest winter conditions out there.

OK, and how much do they cost?

They aren’t overly cheap. In the US, installing a heat pump is a four- or possibly five-figure investment depending on the size of the house, climate and other factors. Air source heat pumps are generally cheaper than ground source ones, though Chakraborty said the efficiency gains of a ground source heat pump may make it more cost-effective over a 15-year or longer timescale.

Are there incentives to help me afford one?

There are. In the US, the Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits that cover 30% of the cost of a heat pump up to $2,000 (about £1,700). For households with under 80% of the median area income, the law is even more generous. It will cover 100% of the upfront costs of buying and installing a heat pump up to $8,000 (about £6,700). Many states also offer rebates. Stacked together, these benefits could help make heat pumps accessible to everyone rather than just the well-off, who have traditionally bought them.

In the UK, the government offers homeowners up to £6,000 ($7,150) to cover installing a heat pump. The urgency to install more heat pumps has increased in the wake of the Ukraine war, yet a third of the £6.6bn ($7.8bn) put forward by the government for efficiency upgrades remains unspent as of last month.

Some Australian states as well as the federal government offer incentives for heat pump hot water heaters, a related type of technology that warms up water instead of space.

What stands in the way of installing a heat pump in every home?

For one, not everyone lives in a freestanding home. Apartment dwellers have had few options. Gradient and a growing number of HVAC companies in the US are looking to change that, though, by offering window heat pumps.

The Gradient model is a sleek-looking unit that sits like a saddle over your window sill and requires no professional installation. It works in more temperate climates, though Romanin said a cold-climate model is on the way. But the company, along with Midea America, are set to do a pilot in New York public housing starting this year that will install window heat pumps that can operate in colder temperatures as part of a $70m HVAC upgrade program.

Installing a heat pump and electrifying other appliances also might require homeowners to update their electrical panels, which can add another $1,300 to $3,000 to any project. (In the US, the IRA does include a $600 tax credit for those upgrades when done in conjunction with other electrification upgrades.)

What comes next for the humble heat pump?

Chakraborty’s group is working on a multifunction heat pump that can be used for space and hot water heating.

Romanin said new forms of heat-pump refrigerant are also making their way to the market. HFCs, currently some of the most common refrigerants, are also extremely potent greenhouse gases. They became widespread because they replaced CFCs, refrigerants that damaged the ozone layer. HFCs are now on their way out, but Romanin said “if we don’t focus on what we’re replacing them with, we could repeat this same mistake”.

Gradient uses a relatively low-impact HFC called R32. But he said “this is a stepping stone refrigerant for us”, and that the company is seeking even better options.

[smoothrayne]

The Importance of Heating And Cooling Solutions: Making Sure Comfort as well as Effectiveness in Every House

HVAC (Home Heating, Ventilation, as well as Cooling) systems have become a crucial part of our every day lives, supplying us with the convenience and comfort we need in our houses. These systems play an important function in keeping a comfy indoor temperature, making certain proper air flow, and enhancing air top quality. With severe climate condition ending up being extra usual, it is very important to understand the value of a/c systems and also how they add to our general wellness.

Paragraph 2: Among the essential advantages of heating and cooling systems is their capacity to regulate interior temperature levels, giving heat throughout chilly winters months as well as amazing relief throughout scorching summer seasons. This not just develops a comfortable living environment but likewise aids avoid health problems created by extreme temperatures. Additionally, a/c systems make sure proper air flow by distributing fresh air throughout your house, reducing the danger of airborne impurities and improving interior air top quality. By removing dirt, allergens, and also pollutants, these systems play an essential function in keeping a healthy home for people with respiratory system problems or allergic reactions. Additionally, heating and cooling systems boost energy performance by successfully taking care of the usage of electrical energy, leading to reduced utility expenses and lowered carbon footprint.In final thought

, heating and cooling systems are greater than just a luxury; they are a necessity in today's modern-day residences. From keeping a comfy temperature level to advertising much better air top quality, these systems significantly add to our general health. Whether it's chilling wintertimes or scorching summers, cooling and heating systems make certain that our residences are a sanctuary of convenience and also effectiveness throughout the year.

Read more here https://morehartac.com/

[victorianwaterheaterprogram]

Winter is cold so keep your water warm. save some money with a new heat pump.

Here to help

[reasonsforhope]

"Heat stored underground in caverns can be set aside in Finland’s summer months to be re-used during frigid winters thanks to a state-of-the-art ‘seasonal energy’ storage facility.

Slated for construction this summer near Helsinki, it will be the largest in the world by all standards and contain enough thermal energy to heat a medium-sized city all winter.

Thermal exchange heating systems, like those built underground, or domestic heat pumps, are seen as the most effective way available of reducing the climate-impact of home heating and cooling.

Their function relies on natural forces or energy recycling to cool down or heat up water and then using it to radiate hot or cold energy into a dwelling.

In Vantaa, Finland’s fourth largest city neighboring the capital of Helsinki, the ambitious Varanto seasonal energy storage project plans to store cheap and environmental friendly waste heat from datacenters, cooling processes, and waste-to-energy assets in underground caverns where it can be used to heat buildings via the district heating network whenever it is needed.

In Finland and other Nordic countries, the heat consumption varies significantly between seasons. Heat consumption in the summertime is only about one-tenth of the peak load consumption during the cold winter months.

Varanto will utilize underground caverns equal in space to two Maddison Square Gardens—over a million cubic meters—filled with water heated by this waste heat and pressure that will allow the water to reach temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit without the water boiling or evaporating.

“The world is undergoing a huge energy transition. Wind and solar power have become vital technologies in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy,” says Vantaa Energy CEO Jukka Toivonen.

“The biggest challenge of the energy transition so far has been the inability to store these intermittent forms of energy for later use. Unfortunately, small-scale storage solutions, such as batteries or accumulators, are not sufficient; large, industrial-scale storage solutions are needed. Varanto is an excellent example of this, and we are happy to set an example for the rest of the world.” ...

“Two 60-MW electric boilers will be built in conjunction with Varanto,” adds Toivonen. “These boilers will be used to produce heat from renewable electricity when electricity is abundant and cheap. Our heat-producing system will work like a hybrid car: alternating between electricity and other forms of production, depending on what is most advantageous and efficient at the time.”

... Construction of the storage facility’s entrance is expected to start in summer 2024, while it could be operational as early as 2028."

-via Good News Network, April 12, 2024. Video via VantaanEnergia, March 10, 2024

[adorkabletwilightandfriends]

Adorkable Twilight & Friends - “Choose Sides”

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[bumblebeeappletree]

One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, analysts think Putin's aggression may have sped up Europe's energy transition. How's that?

Credits:

Reporter: Ajit Niranjan

Video Editor: Nils Reinecke

Supervising editor: Michael Trobridge, Malte Rohwer-Kahlmann

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.

#PlanetA #UkraineWar #EnergyCrisis

Read more:

European Commission data on imports of Russian fuel:

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statist...

The International Energy Agency's 10-point plan to cut demand for Russian gas: https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/ass...

The IEA's guide to avoid gas shortages in 2023:

https://www.iea.org/reports/how-to-av...

EMBER's review of European electricity:

https://ember-climate.org/insights/re...

The IEEFA's analysis of European LNG:

https://ieefa.org/articles/over-half-...

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:50 Eggs & baskets

02:20 Back to coal?

04:27 Renewables push

05:38 Humble heat pumps

07:23 Use less?

09:15 Future

10:47 Conclusion

[netscapenavigator-official]

I wonder if it would be possible to create an ultra-efficient, zero-emission, Water/Steam powered vehicle that uses a heat pump as its source of boiling instead of a burning fuel.

Because if you just use conventional heating elements, it’ll be less efficient than a pure EV due to energy type transitional losses, but heat pumps are usually about 300-400% efficient since they move heat, not create it. So I just wonder if exploiting that efficiency could be used to create a long-range, Water-Powered Hybrid vehicle that’s even more efficient than modern EVs, all while using a fraction of the battery capacity.

We could also seal off the Water/Steam engine part and use a condenser core like some of the last generation of steam cars did in the early 1900s. That way you’d never have to refill the water. Once it’s steam, it can just be cooled back down and reused. All you’d have to do is charge it like a normal EV.

[thermopools]

Make the Most of Your Pool with a High-Performance Heat Pump

Pool heat pumps are worth it if you want to extend your swimming season, enjoy a more comfortable water temperature, and save money on energy costs compared to traditional heating methods. While the initial cost of a heat pump may be higher, they are more energy-efficient and require less maintenance, making them a cost-effective long-term investment for any pool owner. Additionally, pool heat pumps are eco-friendly and use renewable energy sources, making them a more sustainable option for heating your pool.