Electrification woes: Heat Pumps
If you have been following our posts and blog, you know we are huge fans of Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder (theoretical physicist). We all know that heat pumps are more efficient than fuel furnaces and that many states (and countries) now mandate them. If they are so great, then why are some people dissatisfied with their performance?
As a chemical engineer, it should have been obvious to me, but it took Sabine to open my eyes. Heat pumps work and deliver all the heat you require. The problem is they don’t warm up your house as quickly. Heat transfer (the rate at which your home’s temperature goes up) is a function of the difference in temperature between your “radiator” and the room air temperature. Heat pumps do not get as hot as traditional furnaces and therefore take longer to transfer heat and warm the room.
Sabine did a great youtube video on the subject that I highly recommend. You can access it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Th-uC8OYg