Heat pumps of the 1800s are becoming the technology of the future

In Northern Europe they are already there. For the past few years my country (-25c during winter) has required all new houses to be heated by a green energy source - which rules out natural gas.

The price of a heat pump vs a gas boiler + gas network connection are basically the same, and running costs (for prices here) the heat pump is cheaper, especially if you combine it with solar PV.

However heat pumps only really work well when the house is already efficient. New homes here are wrapped with 30cm of foam insulation - you don't need much more than a hair dryer to heat them. If you have radiators that need 70c water flowing through them to barely reach a 18c room temperature, a heat pump won't work - which excludes 90% of UK houses.

(2023) At the time:

(62 points, 41 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38753096

(260 points, 208 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34846762

(399 points, 477 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34397715

Sounds great if it is so efficient. The final paragraph pretty much sums up my entire attitude to heat pumps. Please note that this is from a person who is actively developing the technology. I seem to remember that just as they started pushing heat pumps covid happened and electricity costs have tripled, which has contributed tremendously to killing the discussion imo.

>Not every home will be suitable for a heat pump. And not every budget can accommodate one, either. Yu himself says that the cost of replacing the gas boiler in his own home remains prohibitive. But it’s something he dreams of doing in the future.