• Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      The article is about NYC where buildings are all much older than 50 years. But for the rest of the country? Everyone has known that heat pumps are more efficient for decades which is why they are standard for all new installs. Unless you live in northern Canada, they save money which is why everyone chooses them. Of course there is backup heat for extreme cold which is why it’s always hybrid heatpump with electric or glass backup.

      • frezik@midwest.social
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        7 months ago

        Smart thermostats are what make them really good. In climates where it gets really cold, you need to have a way to switch over from pumping cold air to pumping hot air to using a secondary heat source.

        It wouldn’t have to be that smart, or even networked. A z80 or 8008 processor would have been plenty. High end systems could have done it in the 70s, with costs coming down quickly through the 80s.

        • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          In climates where it gets really cold, you need to have a way to switch over from pumping cold air to pumping hot air to using a secondary heat source.

          That’s standard for all whole house heat pumps and has been for forever. ( as opposed to the mini split heatpumps where it’s a heatpump for one room in a house).