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Comment by free_bip | Hacker News Reader

I have my doubts about heat pumps ever being viable for Canadian and other high-latitude countries -40 degree winters. Everywhere else though, they probably should be the standard.

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What fraction of the population lives with -40 degree winters? That's the only reason they might not be viable, in that they require customization that is only useful to a tiny tiny tiny fraction of the population.

A huge chunk of canadas population in Quebec, Ontario, prairies, and BC see -20 for weeks on end. -40 is more rare but happens every year. Huge chunks of the mid-western USA see those as well. At -30 my furnace is basically on continuously.

A bit late, but maybe someone will read this. I live in Toronto and installed a heat pump this year. We've been through the worst of Winter, I believe, and although the cost ramps up on the coldest days, the heat pump worked perfectly at -15C (it claims a COP of 2 at that temperature). I watch the auxiliary circuit, that is triggered if the heat pump fails to heat to the required temperature, and it never ran for the whole season. Yes, Winter can still get a lot worse and a lot cooler, but my house also has insulation and there is no scenario where I will freeze to death.

In terms of cost, it's a lot cheaper than gas + electricity (it evens-out on the coolest days, and is cheaper otherwise). It will not amortize the cost of the heat pump itself for a while, but that's a cost I'm happy to eat right now.

How many days/nights do they see -40C? Even if it's 30 days straight, a heat pump would work the other 335 days of the year.

One night at -40 when the heat pump is shut off is enough to freeze pipes and cause serious damage.

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