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What my concern is, when the temp., drops to 32 degrees or below, they are incredible inefficient, they don't blow nearly as much warm air out into your home, and they run and run and run all night long to keep up....
my question is, if we can create smart cars that drive themselves, why can't they come up with a much more heat efficient furnace/heat pump.
It just seems to me, that we lack intellectual skills, or, they just don't want to make something that works better.
I completely understand and agree. We have smartphones, satellite technology, etc.... but we're still struggling or regressing on implementing technology to do basic functions (temperature control, noise/sound reduction, etc).
Quote:
Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Here is an example.
I had a service man come to the house last night, and I also have a handy man. They both told me, that with our technology out there today, they surely ought to be making household appliances much better than before, that last. But, saving us money isn't their first concern. For instance...laundry machines. I asked him what the best one out there is, b/c I've had several and have not been pleased with mine. Especially the one I have now. These energy efficient washers don't work nearly as well as when you filled the entire tub up with water, and they don't clean as well. And if you don't believe me, do a search for washing machines and read the reviews. He told me, right now, Speed Queen are the best...but the government is looking to put more regulations on them, which also makes it tough.
Vacuums, are a joke....I've had every kind of Vacuum out there, almost, and I swear they are designed by men, who never ask a woman what she needs to help make them better?
Agree about vacuums. We have a super expensive TriStar we bought almost 15 years ago, which I love. I will be heartbroken when it finally conks out, because I have no doubt the next one we have to buy will not even come close to that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cremebrulee
So, what I'm saying, is, All over PA, as they are building new homes, and BTW it does get cold here....they are installing heat pumps. Heat Pumps are not efficient, in cold weather below 32 degrees, so if they want to be so confounded concerned about the appliances being energy efficient, why the hell don't they design better equipment and use better parts, making them last?
Good Lord, this is 2018 and by now we should be much further along.
honestly, the only thing they care about anymore is money....they don't care about energy efficiency...
Yes x 1,000 to the bolded.
We have gas heat in our house. I had never even heard of heat pumps until this year when there was a thread on NextDoor with people bemoaning their electric bills this month ($500-$800!!!). I can tell these are older or smaller neighborhoods, but yikes. And someone mentioned that the new neighborhoods going up there are also getting heat pumps (this is Midwest, not PA). Clearly this is something we will have to be wary of if/when we ever move. Ugh.
1. Cost. If you are installing AC, a heat pump is only a minor incremental cost.
2. They work well 3/4 of the year and save money.
3. Safety. No open flame, no gas connection. Gas connections also cost $$$
4. Speed of install. No chimneys or vents.
Personally, I always have a plan B heat source in the case of power failure or crazy energy cost spikes. Why complain when the alternatives are so easily available?
In this day and age, I cannot understand, why, they cannot make a heat pump for different areas of the country. They are putting out so many now up here in PA, and yet, when the temp reaches below 32 degrees they are terrible. They run, and run, and don't heat as well....that to me, is surely not energy efficent?
And yet, they are installing so many of them now....
doesn't make sense to me? Does anyone else ask these questions...
And they only last between 10 - 13 years?
Whats up with that?
Can someone explain this to me in layman's terms?
I think they last for more than 10-13 years on average (assuming you have them serviced annually), but the reason is that the heat pump functions as an AC and heater (so cheaper than multiple units).
They are very efficient at temps above say 40 degrees and don't require a complicated/ expensive installation like geothermal (which is what PA and northern states should use). If you do have a heat pump in a cold climate, you should have some type of backup heat (oil or propane) since heat pumps are very inefficient at colder temps.
I completely understand and agree. We have smartphones, satellite technology, etc.... but we're still struggling or regressing on implementing technology to do basic functions (temperature control, noise/sound reduction, etc).
Agree about vacuums. We have a super expensive TriStar we bought almost 15 years ago, which I love. I will be heartbroken when it finally conks out, because I have no doubt the next one we have to buy will not even come close to that.
Yes x 1,000 to the bolded.
We have gas heat in our house. I had never even heard of heat pumps until this year when there was a thread on NextDoor with people bemoaning their electric bills this month ($500-$800!!!). I can tell these are older or smaller neighborhoods, but yikes. And someone mentioned that the new neighborhoods going up there are also getting heat pumps (this is Midwest, not PA). Clearly this is something we will have to be wary of if/when we ever move. Ugh.
yes, I don't believe most people do not understand, the idea about heat pumps, so the builders just throw them in....but they are not efficient. I do have a fireplace with is great, but I won't leave it burning when I'm not home. But do use it a lot when I am home...but when I go to bed, I turn it off. It is gas.
Anyway, they shouldn't be installing heat pumps in areas where we go down below 15 to -0 degrees...
Maybe I should look into getting space heaters. Just hearing that heater run all the time, makes me uneasy, I know this sounds silly, but I fear the cold, and the heater breaking down....trying to get someone out to fix it....it overwhelms me at times.
Yes, exactly, we just shot a car up in space, if we can land on the moon, no one can tell me, that we cannot devise a cheaper way of heating our homes.....
What my concern is, when the temp., drops to 32 degrees or below, they are incredible inefficient, they don't blow nearly as much warm air out into your home, and they run and run and run all night long to keep up....
my question is, if we can create smart cars that drive themselves, why can't they come up with a much more heat efficient furnace/heat pump.
I think I have explained the reason why, this is not some magic black box and it's limitations are dictated by physics. There is only so much heat in air and the colder it gets the less there is and the more it needs to run. Keep in mind just because it's running a lot does not necessarily mean it's less efficient than regular electric. The efficiency of these units can only be improved by increasing the efficiency of the compressor/heat trasfer and there is only so much you can do with that.
Some of the newer units are effective into the single digits and that is pretty impressive.
I think I have explained the reason why, this is not some magic black box and it's limitations are dictated by physics. There is only so much heat in air and the colder it gets the less there is and the more it needs to run. Keep in mind just because it's running a lot does not necessarily mean it's less efficient than regular electric. The efficiency of these units can only be improved by increasing the efficiency of the compressor/heat trasfer and there is only so much you can do with that.
Some of the newer units are effective into the single digits and that is pretty impressive.
yes, I understand that, but once again, I'll add, why can't they invent something that works better? And why would they be allowed to install them in homes where it gets cold. ???? Makes no sense, and then they want to be all energy efficient? That's crazy!
If your correct, and the newer ones are efficient, mine will be 10 years old, I'm definately going to research that....thank you.
I mean, it's crazy, the things run and run and run very hard when the temps go down under 32 degrees and when your talking 15 - 0 degrees, it runs, but doesn't heat well at all....can't keep up.
In a colder climate these units need to be set up to use auxiliary heat. I have relative here in PA that has a heat pump that he installed primarily for the A/C. He also has natural gas and a coal stove.
The coal stove which is the cheapest thing for him to use runs from late October to early April. The gas boiler is also running at this time but only makes up the heat not provided by the coal. The heat pump is only utilized during the shoulder months of the heating season. That is when it most efficient and the other heating sources are the least efficient or difficult to justify when you only need heat for a few hours a day.
I'm going to add one last thing here, his coal stove and natural gas boiler are far more efficient than any power plant utilizing those fuels will ever be. If you want to really be efficient on larger scale buy a coal stove or put some gas in.
Last edited by thecoalman; 02-09-2018 at 09:42 AM..
In this day and age, I cannot understand, why, they cannot make a heat pump for different areas of the country. They are putting out so many now up here in PA, and yet, when the temp reaches below 32 degrees they are terrible. They run, and run, and don't heat as well....that to me, is surely not energy efficent?
And yet, they are installing so many of them now....
doesn't make sense to me? Does anyone else ask these questions...
And they only last between 10 - 13 years?
Whats up with that?
Can someone explain this to me in layman's terms?
You're too far north for a heat pump.
You have resistance heat when the outside unit can't keep up.
They run year-round so naturally they have a shorter life than an AC unit.
yes, I understand that, but once again, I'll add, why can't they invent something that works better? And why would they be allowed to install them in homes where it gets cold. ???? Makes no sense, and then they want to be all energy efficient? That's crazy!
If your correct, and the newer ones are efficient, mine will be 10 years old, I'm definately going to research that....thank you.
We all have choices. Some work out better than others. We are free to make decisions about the systems in our homes.
The market always responds to this.
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