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Heat pump: Difference between revisions
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Worse: When electricity is generated by [[fossil fuels]], electric heating has up to 3 times the carbon emissions of just burning the fossil fuels directly in a [[natural gas]] furnace {{p2|[see why]|Most coal or natural gas power plants are only 33% efficient. They work by boiling water and driving a turbine.{{minor|Exception: Newer "combined cycle" natural gas power plants can get up to 60% efficient. But for heating homes, that's still less efficient than burning the natural gas at home.<br /><br />Also note: Electricity has losses in transmission too (power lines) - typically about 5%.}} }}. Heat pumps are almost never efficient enough to make up for this. | Worse: When electricity is generated by [[fossil fuels]], electric heating has up to 3 times the carbon emissions of just burning the fossil fuels directly in a [[natural gas]] furnace {{p2|[see why]|Most coal or natural gas power plants are only 33% efficient. They work by boiling water and driving a turbine.{{minor|Exception: Newer "combined cycle" natural gas power plants can get up to 60% efficient. But for heating homes, that's still less efficient than burning the natural gas at home.<br /><br />Also note: Electricity has losses in transmission too (power lines) - typically about 5%.}} }}. Heat pumps are almost never efficient enough to make up for this. | ||
Maybe it's worth getting a heat pump if you live in an area where winters are moderate and electricity is generated mostly by renewables or nuclear.<sup>[WORLD MAP needed]</sup> | |||
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==Refrigerant chemicals== | ==Refrigerant chemicals== | ||
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Because of how heat pumps work,<!-- TODO: add a section about how they work --> they must contain a substance known as a ''refrigerant''. Most refrigerants in use today{{en}} happen to be potent [[greenhouse gases]]. They aren't supposed to leak out into the atmosphere - but they sometimes do, if the heat pump gets old or is disposed of improperly. | Because of how heat pumps work,<!-- TODO: add a section about how they work --> they must contain a substance known as a ''refrigerant''. Most refrigerants in use today{{en}} happen to be potent [[greenhouse gases]]. They aren't supposed to leak out into the atmosphere - but they sometimes do, if the heat pump gets old or is disposed of improperly. | ||