Oxford study proves heat pumps triumph over fossil fuels in the cold::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.
My air heat pump has been ticking away happy for 15 years with no issues. It’s worked fine warming up the house when it’s -20°C in the winter and cooled nicely in the up to +30°C in the summer.
I do supplement it using electric heating and a fireplace though.
Thank you for responding and sharing your counter-experience. Greatly appreciated. What keeps your unit from icing over? Are they designed differently in northern climates?
Here’s a good video showing how the heat pump will reverse and basically dethaw the coils when it freezes over: https://youtu.be/7J52mDjZzto?t=1317
They’re spreading all over the Alps too. Easily a 50° temperature difference between summer and winter, and they tick over nicely for years with no problems
I think in Europe it’s a fairly common method now so reliability has been sorted out.
Generally the US is a decade or so behind everyone else though so it might take a while
The COP coefficient falls down drastically to 1 as soon as temperature drops below -5C and they basically start working as an electric heater. It wouldn’t be a problem if I wasn’t living in a country with the most expensive electricity in Europe which is produced mainly from coal…
Yeah that’s just incorrect. People wouldn’t use them then. All new build chalets have them