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Comment by maineldc | Hacker News Reader

My theory is that heat pumps are before or right after the "chasm" in the technology adoption cycle and that's an exciting place to be! Skeptics can make good points about how over hyped they are, how the benefits are less than people think etc. Believers can feel excited about being an early adopter. It's the perfect circumstances for the people of hacker news.

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The other issue is that heat pumps were pretty awful in even remotely cold climates for decades, and there is some hangover due to bad experiences. But the technology has suddenly experienced a leap from being effective around -0C to -25C. It takes a while for industry to recognize that the technology has improved, and there are multiple generations that have done nothing but sling gas appliances and don’t want to upskill to know how to install heat pumps.

I have had a hell of a time trying to get a trade anywhere near my small town that will actually install one. They all just use the introductory meeting to spread FUD about heat pumps.

Same thing happened when I swapped from a gas water heater to a heat pump water heater. Lots of FUD, but I finally got the switch made and am so happy I recommend it to everyone.

I also switched from a gas stove to induction and the FUD around induction was total bullshit and I’ve never been happier with an appliance.

/endrant

Maybe everyone should just point out that it's now the preferred heating method in all of the Nordics. If heat pumps work there reliably, it clearly is a proven technology.

As a disclaimer, if you have an air source heat pump in a very cold environment you do need a backup heating method too, like direct electric or just a fireplace.

I don't know about official policy, but I think in Denmark district heating (fjernvarme) is still the preferred option where it's available.

Copenhagen's system is enormous, covering most of the city. It's powered by 69% biomass (wood and straw), 16% renewable waste, 8% non-renewable waste, 4% oil, 3% gas, 0% coal.

[PDF in English] https://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/district_hea...

[Danish page] https://www.hofor.dk/privat/fjernvarme/bliv-klog-paa-fjernva...

My dad had a heat exchange loop buried in his back yard. I believe he had it buried below the frost line.

In any case, unless you're building on permafrost, you can bury your heat exchanger deep enough to have your heat source at least 0 C in the dead of Winter. Though, for most of the US, the time to recoup the extra cost of the heat exchange loop is pretty high/never (counting the time value of money).

I think there’s a bit more to this where you need to ensure the ground makeup can handle the exchange so that it is effective. My previous discussion was all about air heat pumps rather than ground based. As I understand it, air is around 1/3 - 1/4 the price and today’s technology is more efficient, but I am not an expert.

What induction stove did you get? All the ones that have good reviews start around $3k which is way too high for my budget.

I bought a Samsung 6.3 cubic foot - NE63B8411SS. It was $1600 Canadian (on sale - looks to be $1900 now / regular) at Home Depot. The reviews I read were good, and it’s been fantastic. The only thing I wish is that the app would allow me to set the temperature to preheat without physically being at the stove - sometimes I’d love to get it started in advance. Give me a safety warning or something to remind me that I should have ensured nothing was inside the oven in advance…

Requiring initial physical interaction reduces the attack surface, even once the attackers have gotten a toehold.

Yeah, I know this is the argument but if I can open my garage via app, change my thermostat via app, unlock doors via app, etc etc etc, I don’t see what the difference is. If the response is that an oven can get hot, I guess it should be designed so that it can’t get so hot as to cause a fire, in which case it is as dangerous (in terms of potential for an attacker to cause damage/loss) as several of the other examples I’ve given.

> suddenly experienced a leap from being effective around -0C to -25C.

I was wondering what changed. Better refrigerants?

I believe so, yes.

I’ve been on heart pumps since 2014, and a brand new one for the last year. They are awesome 75% of the year and totally worthless during the cold months. Technically they work if you don’t mind luke warm air blowing in your face all day long. I also switched to an induction stove and i hate it. The bottom of my food cooks nicely…

I think the advances in technology are super recent, like the last 2-3 years in the really cold climates.

I am shocked you feel that way about induction. Actually shocked. The control over temperature and rapid boiling has been a life changer.

I’m curious which stove you have, my is pretty cheap.

I bought a Samsung 6.3 cubic foot - NE63B8411SS. It was $1600 Canadian (on sale - looks to be $1900 now / regular) at Home Depot.

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