But isn't condensation based cooling like 500% efficient?
The coefficient of performance (COP) of the Carnot heat pump is 19.5.
The coefficient of performance of a typical heat pump in a british home is around 4.
There is obviously a huge difference between 4 and 19.5 - although a good chunk of this is explained by large temperature differentials in the condenser and evaporator, and a british desire to use a water heating loop.