As consumers and governments aim to reduce their carbon footprint, heat pumps are becoming more and more popular as a way to reduce emissions associated with the way our homes are heated.
According to data from the International Energy Agency, in 2019, building air and water heating accounted for 12% of global energy-related carbon emissions, and about half of the global transportation sector’s emissions.
To curb these emissions, governments in the United States and across Europe have encouraged the use of heat pumps as part of a broader net-zero program by providing subsidies, tax breaks, and rebates.Despite the cost to purchase and install them, consumers from Vermont to Louisiana are accepting these devices.In many cases, they are difficult to modify.
The heat pump usually looks like an outdoor air conditioner and works in reverse like a household refrigerator.They extract heat from outside air, ground or nearby water sources, and concentrate the heat into the heating fluid in the system.The hot fluid is then used to heat the water in the home, just like a traditional stove.
Unlike traditional furnaces that burn natural gas, oil or coal, heat pumps are electric and do not rely on emission-intensive fuels.If the electricity they get from the grid comes from renewable sources, they don’t need fossil fuels at all.
Use the refrigeration cycle to heat and cool your home.Regardless of the season, this can provide indoor comfort.
In summer, the heat pump acts like an air conditioner—it discharges the heat and humidity in the room, and then redirects it to the outdoors.
Advocates say that electric pumps do not release particulate matter that can pollute the air inside and outside the home, are safer than using flammable fuels on site, and have relatively low maintenance costs.
Approximately 56% of American households use natural gas, oil or propane for heating, but heat pumps are no longer just a foothold in the United States.According to data from the Energy Information Administration, they accounted for about 12% of the heating system in American homes last year.
However, although states from Vermont to New Mexico have implemented various tax rebates, subsidies, and other incentives for many years, the share of heat pumps in the overall US market has remained largely unchanged for the past two decades.
To initiate adoption, the White House announced a joint plan with the Department of Energy in May to promote homeowners to purchase heat pumps.This includes a $10 million research and development fund to develop heat pump technology and encourage the use of heating systems, which officials call “two to four times as efficient as traditional water heaters.”
Governments are taking similar actions in Europe.Germany recently mandated the installation of heat pumps in newly built houses, and the United Kingdom will provide consumers with heat pump subsidies worth US$5.4 billion to realize the electrification of British household heating.
Costs vary between countries and within countries, but utility companies agree that the cost of installing heat pumps is higher than that of heating systems using fossil fuels, but due to lower operating costs, the initial cost can be recovered within a few years.
Circulate water mixed with antifreeze through a buried pipeline system to collect heat from the earth or groundwater.The underground temperature is usually warmer than air in winter and colder than air in summer.
In summer, the earth is colder than your home, so the excess heat in the house will be transferred to the ground.The colder water returns from the ground through the pipe system to cool your home
The earth is warmer than the outside air in winter, so the heat from the ground can be transferred to the house through the plumbing system to warm the house.
According to data from EIA in 2018, the typical cost of buying a residential air source heat pump in the United States is about 3,600 US dollars, and the cost including installation is more than 5,000 US dollars, which is about twice the cost of buying a gas or oil burner. The purchase of ground source heat pumps And the installation cost is between 12,000 USD and 20,000 USD.It is cheaper to install a heat pump in a new home than to retrofit it in an existing property.
“The initial cost can be a real obstacle,” said Rebecca Foster, CEO of Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, an energy efficiency non-profit organization that operates in 25 North American states and provinces.”This is why rebates and other economic incentives are needed.”
Compared with traditional heating systems, the additional cost of heat pumps is similar in Europe.Heat pumps also require external space, which is a problem in densely populated areas, as well as space for hot water tanks.
Nevertheless, many American consumers do not seem to be intimidated by this fee.Of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems installed by Southwest Electric Power Company this year, 72% are heat pumps, up from 10% in 2020.
According to the utility’s parent company, American Power, Southwest Airlines’ customers in Louisiana and Texas can use government rebates and incentives to offset an average cost of $1,360.
The utility company stated that heat pumps may not work properly in old houses with poor insulation, especially when these houses are located in colder areas.That’s because they don’t heat up the house as quickly as gas stoves and must be kept longer to reach the required temperature.
Therefore, retrofitting a house for a heat pump usually incurs other costs, such as additional insulation and a larger radiator to compensate for the less direct heat.This is the focus of particular attention for homeowners and energy efficiency groups in colder regions of the United States
Vermont Energy stated that the use of heat pumps in its state has increased dramatically, with installations increasing from approximately 1,000 units in 2015 to nearly 10,000 units last year.In Maine, 28,000 heat pumps were installed in the year ending June 2021, more than double the number in the same period last year.
Rising temperatures in the colder areas of the country’s history have been a driving factor for this trend.The heat pump can also be used to cool the house in the hot summer.
Ms. Foster said: “We have seen people add refrigeration to homes that have never had refrigeration before. Heat pumps provide a very compelling alternative, such as window air conditioners.”