The humble heat pump is finally in the spotlight. Proponents say the device has the potential to save you on your energy bills, fight climate change and reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. One day, heat pumps may even replace air conditioning and heating systems worldwide.
Sure, it sounds very ambitious, but legislators are struggling to install heat pumps wherever they can. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to ease domestic production of the technology, while Congress passed a major climate bill to make the technology more accessible to Americans. Across Europe, heat pumps are part of efforts to phase out Russian fuel.
With all the hype, you might want to check out the technology that’s suddenly making headlines. So, The Verge put together this guide on what heat pumps are, what they do, and why they’re making a splash right now.
There are different types of heat pump technologies, but for the sake of simplicity, we will focus on the devices that are currently generating the most interest. The fussing appliances are electric heat pumps, which are used to heat and cool the air in homes and buildings. Don’t let the name fool you. Heat pumps can do the same job as stoves and air conditioners.
It depends on the type of heat pump, but the defining characteristic is that they move heat where you need it. Specifically, these appliances use a refrigerant to absorb heat and redistribute it. The refrigerant is a low-boiling substance that easily absorbs heat. They are also used in air conditioners and refrigerators.
The most common type of heat pump you’ll hear is the air-to-source heat pump, which moves heat between your home and the outside air.
It consists of two parts: an inner component and an outer component. When used for room cooling, the indoor unit blows warm air from inside the room onto coils filled with liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant absorbs heat from the air, boils and evaporates into a gaseous state. From there, the heated refrigerant travels to the outdoor component, where it releases heat. The refrigerant cools down and turns back into a liquid, and the process can start again. When a heat pump is used to heat a space, the process is reversed. The refrigerant absorbs heat from outside and moves it inside the room. Thanks to some recent breakthroughs in heat pump technology, it works even in cold climates because as long as the refrigerant is colder than the environment, it absorbs heat.
There are also “ground” or geothermal heat pumps that move heat between a home or building and outdoor ground or a nearby water source.
Yes. Austrian engineer Peter von Rittinger designed and installed the first documented heat pump system in the 1850s. The first electric ground source heat pump is credited to American inventor Robert S. Webber, who was fiddling with a freezer in his basement in the late 1940s when he realized it would produce boiling water. Not wanting to waste hot water, he diverted it to his boiler and eventually developed a system to heat his entire home.
Although heat pumps have been around for a long time, they have not become mainstream. In 2020, they covered only 7% of global heating demand. Over the years, other technologies that many have become more familiar with, namely air conditioners and stoves, have become more affordable to buy and install. Gas heating is also cheaper than electricity in many places. Also, heat pumps don’t always work as well in very cold places as they do in milder climates.
First, technology has stepped forward. This makes heat pumps ideal for dealing with several of the crises the world is facing today.
Both the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine have led to a global gas crisis. Heating a home with gas or using a gas-fired power plant to keep the lights on has become more expensive.
The energy crisis in Europe is so severe that in the last few years alone the cost of natural gas has risen from about $5 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) to $55 per MMBtu. A big part of the problem is that Europe has historically been very dependent on Russian gas supplies. The EU has been trying to get rid of this dependency ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, and electric heat pumps are an important part of that plan. Natural gas is currently the most used heating fuel in Europe, with most of it historically coming from Russia. The European Commission wants to double the pace of heat pump deployment with a goal of deploying 10 million units over the next five years.
This is an acceleration of an already ongoing transition. One of the main climate change mitigation strategies is the electrification of everything from cars to buildings. So once these energy sources replace fossil fuels on the grid, they can run on clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Some cities, such as Berkeley, California, even ban gas connections to homes and buildings.
Heat pumps have become the obvious replacement for obsolete gas and oil heating. Thus, efforts to promote the adoption of heat pumps run through many proposed climate policies. For example, the huge climate bill the Democrats are working on is called the “Cut Inflation Act” and provides rebates of up to $8,000 for income-eligible Americans who install new heat pumps in their homes. Anyone not eligible for the rebate can still receive up to $2,000 in tax credit for installing a heat pump.
Basically correct. These are appliances, so they can use clean energy as we mentioned above. But the environmental benefits still depend on how clean the network they are connected to is. If your grid is still dominated by coal and natural gas—and many still are—then electricity is not very clean. At least for now. The climatic substantiation of heat pumps is promising. The thought is that countries could reach their climate goals faster if people switched from gas to heat pumps while cleaning up the grid. More than 30 countries and the European Union have set a zero CO2 target in legislation or policy. Over 100 countries have made similar proposals but are still working on adopting policies to achieve these goals.
Another climate advantage of heat pumps is that they are often very energy efficient. After all, they don’t produce heat, they only move it. Air source heat pumps are 2.2 to 4.5 times more efficient than ENERGY STAR gas ovens, according to a 2020 U.S. analysis by non-profit clean energy research organization RMI. According to the Department of Energy, geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption by 30 to 60 percent. However, efficiency gains vary because in cooler climates, heat pumps have to work harder to collect enough heat from the environment.
Overall, according to a study published last year in the journal Environmental Research Letters, 70 percent of US homes will now have heat pumps installed to reduce emissions. The study took into account both greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants such as particulate matter. Just by looking at the carbon dioxide that heats up the planet, if every single-family home started using a heat pump, carbon dioxide emissions in the US residential sector would be reduced by 32%.
Again, it depends. According to the same study, published in Environmental Research Letters, only 32% of households would currently “benefit financially” from installing a heat pump.
While this device can save you money in the long run by lowering your utility bills, heat pumps generally still have higher upfront costs than traditional heating or cooling systems. People buy and install a ducted heat pump for an average of $7,791, compared to $6,870 for a gas oven, according to a Consumer Reports survey of its members. However, if a heat pump system replaces both a gas oven and an air conditioning unit, or if it is built as a new structure, it becomes more cost-competitive. This is why, in the short term, subsidies will be the key to making heat pumps more attractive to consumers.
Due to their energy efficiency, heat pumps are likely to be the cheapest clean energy alternative for heating and cooling for most American homes for decades to come, according to an analysis by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
Technically, heat pumps can operate almost anywhere. Thanks to the technological breakthroughs of the last decade, heat pumps can now heat homes even when outside temperatures drop below freezing. At the moment, these devices do not work as efficiently at such low temperatures as in milder climates.
Anyone without a home will also find it difficult to turn to a heat pump as it usually requires professional installation. The next major advance in new heat pump technology is the easy-to-install window unit that can compete with window air conditioners. Unlike more traditional heat pumps, these new window units basically fit on your windowsill. New York State recently said it will spend $70 million to two companies, Gradient and Midea America, to manufacture 30,000 window heat pumps for public housing in New York.
Gradient has stated that its product will be available this year. But it’s not cheap. While a window air conditioner can cost a few hundred dollars or less, a new Gradient window heat pump (which heats and cools the house) costs a lot more: $1,999.
This is a big problem for energy efficient appliances and clean energy technologies in general. Until now, many of these technologies have been out of reach for many people—usually renters and people who haven’t spent thousands of extra dollars on new equipment, especially when their old equipment is still working. Time. To truly revolutionize the heat pump industry, this has to change.