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Heat Pumps: 3-to-1 Energy Winners
by Fred Horch, Principal Advisor, Sustainable Practice.
Electric heat pumps are now so efficient, even at low temperatures, that fuel-burning heating systems are unnecessary.
Before cold climate heat pumps were invented, people would get excited about increasing the annual utilization efficiency of their fuel-burning heating systems from 0.8 to 0.95. Now, we can get systems with a coefficient of performance of 3 or more.
Electric heat pumps have been the standard technology for refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners since 1913, cooling enclosed spaces and heating up ambient air. Recently, this technology has been applied in reverse, pumping hot refrigerant gas through tubes to heat enclosed spaces and pumping very cold refrigerant liquid through tubes to cool ambient (outdoor) air. Now, we can heat very efficiently with electricity and no longer need furnaces, boilers, or hot water heaters that burn fuel.
To benefit the most from energy-saving electric heat pump technology, we can take the following sustainable steps:
- For refrigeration, replace older refrigerators and freezers that fail Energy Star standards with new appliances that meet standards.
- For domestic hot water…
