Quote:
Originally Posted by #-3
Was thinking of buying an AC unit after suffering last summer, after looking at this conversation about heat pumps, I read they'd work just as well for cooling and only cost marginally more, and you would see a drop in monthly heating cost with them. Also heard Calgary is too cold for them to be reliable on the coldest days.
Anyone have experience?
Would a duel system where my existing furnace just jumps in for short periods when a heat pump isn't keeping up?
Assuming the grid keeps getting greener (because I think that's a fairly safe assumption ), would running the heat pump for 70% of my heating in the winter offset the extra usage I would create by adding cooling.
poke holes in this thinking.
|
A heat pump will be much more expensive to run than a gas furnace in Alberta. And until the grid has more low-carbon sources, it'll likely generate more emissions as well. Using gas to produce electricity isn't all that efficient, so you're losing a lot of energy vs. just burning it for heat even with the efficiency of a heat pump.
Even in coastal BC, with much milder weather and cheaper electricity, good heat pumps are just basically at par for heating costs compared to a modern gas furnace. However, the reduction in carbon emissions is significant given that almost all the power is generated by hydro. That's not the case in Alberta, where using a heat pump is basically equivalent to using a generator to produce electricity and then using that electricity for heat.