WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:00.895 Hi. 00:00:00.895 --> 00:00:04.071 It’s no secret that I love heat pumps. 00:00:04.071 --> 00:00:07.875 Making a substance liquify in one place and vaporize in another 00:00:07.875 --> 00:00:12.745 on our command to move heat feels like a physics cheat code. 00:00:12.745 --> 00:00:16.769 We’ve been doing it for a very long time in refrigerators  and air conditioners, 00:00:16.769 --> 00:00:21.985 and we’re finally starting to collectively realize the benefits of doing it backwards. 00:00:21.985 --> 00:00:25.878 And, thanks to the very unfortunate global happenings, 00:00:25.878 --> 00:00:31.458 the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels has found new and different urgency. 00:00:31.458 --> 00:00:37.159 The world seems increasingly  in agreement that it’s time for more pumping more now. 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.081 And the world is absolutely right about that! 00:00:40.081 --> 00:00:42.395 In this video, I’d like to explain why. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:46.897 Real quick, you may have realized that I have  already made a video— 00:00:46.897 --> 00:00:48.671 as a matter of fact two 00:00:48.671 --> 00:00:50.963 —on the subject of heat pumps. 00:00:50.963 --> 00:00:53.478 So what’s this one for? 00:00:53.478 --> 00:00:58.330 Well, heat pumps are at the top of a lot of folks’ minds right now but also, you see, 00:00:58.330 --> 00:00:59.940 that second video? 00:00:59.940 --> 00:01:01.447 I’m not really happy with it. 00:01:01.447 --> 00:01:08.865 Largely because I ignored the developments that are happening and indeed have already happened in the air-source heat pump space, 00:01:08.865 --> 00:01:15.280 and I touted the much, MUCH harder  to build ground-source heat pump as “the future.” 00:01:16.160 --> 00:01:19.254 Now, to be clear, if you are in a very cold  place 00:01:19.254 --> 00:01:23.147 and have the ability to invest in a geothermal heat pump system, 00:01:23.147 --> 00:01:25.110 I still think you should consider it. 00:01:25.110 --> 00:01:27.494 And by the way if you want to know what that is, 00:01:27.494 --> 00:01:29.006 well check out the link below. 00:01:29.006 --> 00:01:32.611 But even in pretty cold climates like mine, 00:01:32.611 --> 00:01:36.109 effective air-source heat pumps are available  today 00:01:36.109 --> 00:01:42.409 which will reduce the total amount of fuel required to heat your home over a year — even with today’s electric grid. 00:01:42.960 --> 00:01:45.520 That’s good from an emissions standpoint, yes,   00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:51.600 but it also means more simply that we need  less fuel for heating our living spaces.   00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:57.472 And that means we don’t need to obtain as much  of it from places we may not want to. 00:01:57.472 --> 00:02:00.423 Simply put, in a world where heat pumps exist 00:02:00.423 --> 00:02:02.882 — which is this one right now! — 00:02:02.882 --> 00:02:09.022 it actually makes more sense to burn natural gas in a power plant to generate electricity 00:02:09.022 --> 00:02:15.046 than it does to pipe that gas into homes and businesses to be burned on-site for heat. 00:02:15.046 --> 00:02:17.061 I know, pretty wild, right? 00:02:17.061 --> 00:02:18.979 Let’s talk about why that is. 00:02:19.600 --> 00:02:22.057 Since this more of a heat pump update, 00:02:22.057 --> 00:02:23.656 or heat pumpdate, 00:02:23.656 --> 00:02:26.743 I’m not going to go into how heat pumps actually work - 00:02:26.743 --> 00:02:29.964 check out the original video if you’d like to understand that. 00:02:29.964 --> 00:02:32.560 It is pretty cool, and pretty hot. 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:36.260 But I will go over the COP again  because it’s what really matters - 00:02:36.260 --> 00:02:38.568 and why they’re so important. 00:02:38.568 --> 00:02:44.896 The coefficient of performance is  a number that expresses how much heat energy a heating device produces 00:02:44.896 --> 00:02:48.969 compared to how much  electrical energy it consumes in the process. 00:02:49.440 --> 00:02:51.110 Resistive electric heat — 00:02:51.110 --> 00:02:55.559 the ordinary kind you find in toasters, space heaters, hair dryers, and whatnot 00:02:55.559 --> 00:02:57.639 — has a COP of 1. 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:03.647 That means every 1 kilowatt of power consumed becomes 1 kilowatt of heat output. 00:03:03.647 --> 00:03:07.760 Turning electrical energy into heat is 100% efficient, 00:03:07.760 --> 00:03:13.746 so every single watt of power that this heater  is consuming is ending up in the room as heat. 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:19.861 That’s not bad, but a wrinkle there is  that electricity *generation* is A) 00:03:19.861 --> 00:03:22.709 not 100% efficient and B) 00:03:22.709 --> 00:03:24.179 somewhat scarce. 00:03:24.179 --> 00:03:30.311 Let’s start with efficiency - a modern power plant that burns natural gas is, after transmission losses, 00:03:30.311 --> 00:03:32.338 about 40% efficient. 00:03:32.338 --> 00:03:38.822 Note that I’m deliberately talking only about natural gas plants - you’ll understand why as we go on. 00:03:38.822 --> 00:03:41.903 If you burn natural gas at a rate of 10 megawatts, 00:03:41.903 --> 00:03:45.794 a power plant will only produce  4 megawatts of electricity from it. 00:03:45.794 --> 00:03:50.872 While that would get turned into about 4 megawatts of heat if  it was run through a few thousand space heaters, 00:03:50.872 --> 00:03:56.946 we could turn that into more than 9 megawatts  of heat if we piped that gas into buildings 00:03:56.946 --> 00:04:00.179 and burned it locally in boilers or furnaces. 00:04:00.179 --> 00:04:02.659 As I explored in my video on furnaces, 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:08.395 we know how to get nearly all of a fuel’s heat  energy out of it in a safe, effective fashion. 00:04:08.395 --> 00:04:12.287 So… in many parts of the world that’s exactly  what we do. 00:04:12.287 --> 00:04:15.488 Burning fuel on-site has been until pretty recently 00:04:15.488 --> 00:04:20.122 the most rational way to use that resource for the purpose of space heating. 00:04:20.621 --> 00:04:23.491 The other problem with electric heat a la toasters 00:04:23.491 --> 00:04:27.435 is that there is only so much grid capacity to go around. 00:04:27.435 --> 00:04:30.599 It takes a lot of energy to heat a building - 00:04:30.599 --> 00:04:34.593 heating buildings is among  the most energy-intensive things we do. 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:41.600 And in many areas the electric grid just isn’t big enough  to switch everyone over to simple electric heat.   00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:45.727 And it’s not because we couldn’t build it to do so, to be clear. 00:04:45.727 --> 00:04:53.045 It’s just that, except in areas with access to abundant and stable renewable energy like hydroelectric power, 00:04:53.045 --> 00:04:58.148 it has traditionally been much more expensive and resource intensive to heat with electricity 00:04:58.148 --> 00:05:02.290 because of the efficiency challenges in fossil-fuel power plants. 00:05:02.290 --> 00:05:05.615 The electric infrastructure in areas like where I live 00:05:05.615 --> 00:05:12.186 just isn't expected to produce as much much energy in winter months because electricity demand has historically fallen 00:05:12.186 --> 00:05:15.793 when air conditioners stop running and furnaces fire up. 00:05:16.320 --> 00:05:22.762 But, thanks to heat pumps, we can largely sidestep  both of those challenges altogether. 00:05:22.762 --> 00:05:25.541 When it comes to the need for electricity generation, 00:05:25.541 --> 00:05:29.412 since heat pumps aren’t converting electrical energy into heat 00:05:29.412 --> 00:05:35.386 but are instead using it to drive a  refrigeration circuit which moves heat indoors, 00:05:35.386 --> 00:05:39.036 they have coefficients of performance that are greater than 1. 00:05:39.036 --> 00:05:45.280 Simply put, they produce more useful heat with the same  electricity than a simple electric heater does. 00:05:45.840 --> 00:05:49.467 Sometimes, more than 5 times as much. 00:05:49.467 --> 00:05:53.769 This means that although heat pumps will put more demand on the electric grid 00:05:53.769 --> 00:05:56.900 in places that currently use gas for heating, 00:05:56.900 --> 00:06:00.422 they require a fraction of the energy of resistive heat 00:06:00.422 --> 00:06:04.988 and so make electrification much more feasible in those parts of the world. 00:06:05.440 --> 00:06:09.481 That’s definitely good, but here’s where  things get even better. 00:06:09.481 --> 00:06:12.040 Dare I say, mind-blowing. 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:16.209 Remember that we can pipe  natural gas into a building and burn it there, 00:06:16.209 --> 00:06:17.966 as we’ve been doing for decades, 00:06:17.966 --> 00:06:22.424 and we can capture perhaps 95% of its energy as heat. 00:06:22.424 --> 00:06:27.017 But if instead of doing that we burned  it in a power plant to make electricity, 00:06:27.017 --> 00:06:29.460 heat pumps will work their magic. 00:06:29.460 --> 00:06:33.651 We may only get 40% of the gas’s energy turned into electricity, 00:06:33.651 --> 00:06:38.300 but when you use it to run a heat pump operating  with a COP of 5, 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:43.386 in the end you’re effectively operating at 200% efficiency. 00:06:43.386 --> 00:06:50.837 That’s a 100% bonus compared to burning the gas in a furnace or boiler with perfect efficiency. 00:06:50.837 --> 00:06:57.981 Literally more energy than the gas itself contains ends up getting put into buildings when you use it this way, 00:06:57.981 --> 00:06:59.845 and that’s nothing short of amazing! 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:04.320 Of course, as I’m sure certain curmudgeons  are shouting loudly at their screens,   00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:09.018 I need to tell you that heat pumps don’t always work that well. 00:07:09.018 --> 00:07:16.638 But, they only need to operate with a COP of 2.5 to break even with on-site fuel combustion. 00:07:16.638 --> 00:07:20.546 That turns the 40% captured in a natural gas power plant 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:25.680 right back into 100% - eking out even the most efficient furnaces.   00:07:26.400 --> 00:07:28.908 And, here’s why this video’s happening, 00:07:28.908 --> 00:07:32.757 that is actually very, very attainable. 00:07:33.250 --> 00:07:34.009 Today. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.853 With simple air source heat pumps. 00:07:36.853 --> 00:07:39.448 Even in cold climates. 00:07:39.448 --> 00:07:44.277 Various manufacturers are now producing ductless cold-climate mini-split heat pumps 00:07:44.277 --> 00:07:49.691 that manage that COP or better down to -15 degrees Celsius, 00:07:49.691 --> 00:07:51.820 or 5 Fahrenheit. 00:07:51.820 --> 00:07:55.926 They’re also able to maintain their full rated output at that temperature, 00:07:55.926 --> 00:07:58.800 though with reduced efficiency compared to milder weather. 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:04.720 For the purposes of this video I’m only  focusing on published data for certain models,   00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:09.600 and I will freely admit that these models  are state-of-the-art and, for the moment, 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.673 exceptionally efficient. 00:08:11.673 --> 00:08:16.516 But it’s important to remember that these are machines for sale right now, 00:08:16.516 --> 00:08:19.125 not some theoretical future devices. 00:08:19.125 --> 00:08:23.151 And they are no more disruptive to install than an air conditioner. 00:08:23.151 --> 00:08:26.801 The technology is here. Now. We know how to build it, 00:08:26.801 --> 00:08:31.064 and if we had any sense we’d start doing that as fast as we can. 00:08:31.628 --> 00:08:33.040 But I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself. 00:08:33.760 --> 00:08:39.840 I live in the Chicago area, and we love to tell  you just how brutally cold our winters can get.   00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.774 And yes, I know there are places that get colder than here. 00:08:43.774 --> 00:08:45.371 Much colder. 00:08:45.371 --> 00:08:51.629 But we are definitely one of those places where the conventional wisdom says heat pumps don’t work. 00:08:51.629 --> 00:08:57.509 Many, many people think it’s just too cold here to  bother installing a heat pump, 00:08:57.509 --> 00:09:00.197 and so that pretty much never happens. 00:09:00.197 --> 00:09:03.713 It does get quite cold for some stretch of every winter - 00:09:03.713 --> 00:09:13.040 a few years ago we had a 48 hour period where the actual air temperature didn’t get above -10° F, which is about -23° C. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:18.000 For much of that time, it was warmer  in your freezer than it was outside! 00:09:18.640 --> 00:09:23.596 But, and very importantly, that’s far from ordinary. 00:09:23.596 --> 00:09:27.777 It sticks out in our minds because it hurts to go outside on those days, 00:09:27.777 --> 00:09:32.923 but if we actually look at historical data for the winter of 2018 into 2019, 00:09:32.923 --> 00:09:34.354 here’s what we find. 00:09:34.354 --> 00:09:38.873 In the month of November, we didn’t get anywhere close to 5° Fahrenheit. 00:09:38.873 --> 00:09:44.181 And remember, it needs to be colder than that for  a furnace to beat a good heat pump. 00:09:44.181 --> 00:09:47.202 In December, the closest we got was 16°. 00:09:48.236 --> 00:09:50.226 In January... things got worse, 00:09:50.226 --> 00:09:53.292 we spent 2 nights below 5 ° in the third week, 00:09:53.292 --> 00:09:58.079 and then that lovely polar vortex hit and things got particularly rough. 00:09:58.079 --> 00:10:03.239 Almost the entire last week of January had evenings  below 5 degrees, and then… 00:10:03.757 --> 00:10:06.000 well… this wasn’t fun. 00:10:06.800 --> 00:10:10.565 But actually? That was… kinda it. 00:10:10.565 --> 00:10:14.067 Only three days in February, the 1st, 8th, and 9th, 00:10:14.067 --> 00:10:16.405 landed at or below 5 degrees. 00:10:16.405 --> 00:10:20.041 In March we had two more days at  the start that dipped below 5, 00:10:20.041 --> 00:10:23.953 but then by April we’re essentially out of the woods of Winter so, yeah, 00:10:23.953 --> 00:10:26.080 nothing close to that cold was experienced. 00:10:26.800 --> 00:10:29.600 So, for the entire winter season that year, 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:34.451 there were only 14 days where a conventional furnace would have outperformed a heat pump - 00:10:34.451 --> 00:10:38.942 when it comes to the amount of fuel needed to produce the same amount of heat. 00:10:38.942 --> 00:10:44.317 And for most of those days, it still got above 5 degrees during at least part of the day. 00:10:44.317 --> 00:10:48.000 In fact there were only two days the entire year where that didn’t happen. 00:10:48.560 --> 00:10:52.560 Three if you count the 25th of January  where we just barely hit 5. 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:54.937 Actually, why stop there? 00:10:54.937 --> 00:10:59.840 We’ve got hourly data, too, how many hours were we below 5 that year? 00:11:00.400 --> 00:11:05.725 By my count it was 141 hours, or not quite 6 entire days. 00:11:05.725 --> 00:11:11.070 So, there were only 6 days of the entire winter season in which, 00:11:11.070 --> 00:11:14.816 when it comes to the amount of energy natural gas contains, 00:11:14.816 --> 00:11:21.154 a furnace made more sense than a heat pump running  on electricity produced with that natural gas. 00:11:21.154 --> 00:11:22.101 That’s… 00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:24.194 astounding! 00:11:24.194 --> 00:11:31.772 Are we willing to say that heat pumps don’t work in Chicago because for six days of the winter we’d have been better off with a furnace? 00:11:31.772 --> 00:11:33.946 Well I hope not because that’s ludicrous. 00:11:33.946 --> 00:11:35.322 You’d literally be saying 00:11:35.322 --> 00:11:42.021 “Well, we shouldn’t with this technology which can reduce our use of energy for 144 days of the five-month heating season 00:11:42.021 --> 00:11:45.087 because SOMETIMES it can’t do that.” 00:11:45.087 --> 00:11:47.073 Listen to that. It’s ridiculous! 00:11:47.073 --> 00:11:48.210 “But sometimes…” 00:11:48.210 --> 00:11:53.136 Yeah, sometimes life is hard, and new solutions bring new challenges. 00:11:53.136 --> 00:11:55.002 But let’s keep it big picture, alright? 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:57.650 Let’s look at some other years, too. 00:11:57.650 --> 00:12:01.924 I’m just gonna look at days, though, finding the total hours is a bit of a pain. 00:12:01.924 --> 00:12:07.417 The previous winter had 13 days where the temperature dipped below 5 at some point. 00:12:07.417 --> 00:12:09.794 The year before that had only 9. 00:12:09.794 --> 00:12:13.275 And 2015 into 2016 had only 8. 00:12:13.275 --> 00:12:17.605 Jumping forward, 2019 into 2020 had but 2, 00:12:17.605 --> 00:12:20.409 though some days did just hit 5 degrees. 00:12:20.409 --> 00:12:26.926 2020 into 2021 experienced 8 days with a low below 5 degrees, all in February incidentally. 00:12:26.926 --> 00:12:31.371 And the winter we’re just clawing our way out of now had only 5 days. 00:12:31.371 --> 00:12:34.522 Though, it’s not impossible  for there to be another one before May rolls around. 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:37.665 Now, it’s important to note a couple of things. 00:12:37.665 --> 00:12:43.563 First, I’m not talking about the monetary cost of  delivered energy here. 00:12:43.563 --> 00:12:49.280 I do need to make that clear - the cost of electricity in  your area compared to that of natural gas   00:12:49.280 --> 00:12:53.100 makes cost comparisons a hyper-local exercise. 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:56.926 Although, recent volatility sure makes this a fluid situation, 00:12:56.926 --> 00:13:00.820 and suggests that maybe  we ought to diversify our energy portfolios, 00:13:00.820 --> 00:13:04.739 which the electric grid is particularly suited  to do by the way, in case you hadn’t noticed. 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:08.543 But this is a wrinkle to heat pump adoption 00:13:08.543 --> 00:13:11.299 that we should probably figure a way around. 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:16.079 If it’s more expensive to use the option that saves energy... 00:13:16.643 --> 00:13:17.844 that’s a problem. 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:21.749 And second, I do need to acknowledge that those periods of time 00:13:21.749 --> 00:13:29.040 where heat pumps can’t get to natural gas parity are  also when heating demand is greatest.   00:13:29.040 --> 00:13:39.262 So while I can say that there were only 141 hours  in which a furnace would have used fewer resources than a state-of-the-art air-source heat pump in the 2018-2019 Chicago winter season 00:13:39.262 --> 00:13:40.065 [inhales] 00:13:40.277 --> 00:13:42.170 that’s incomplete. 00:13:42.170 --> 00:13:48.593 We’d need to normalize things by weighting that  time more heavily if we want to get a more complete answer. 00:13:48.593 --> 00:13:52.000 But I’m not gonna do that for  you because I do not possess the expertise. 00:13:52.640 --> 00:13:55.920 However, it is factually the case that right now,   00:13:55.920 --> 00:13:58.415 today, BTU for BTU, 00:13:58.415 --> 00:13:59.575 therm for therm, 00:13:59.575 --> 00:14:01.239 cubic meter for cubic meter, 00:14:01.239 --> 00:14:03.582 kilowatt-hour for kilowatt-hour, 00:14:03.582 --> 00:14:08.351 we can heat more homes and businesses by burning  gas in power plants 00:14:08.351 --> 00:14:12.000 and using that energy to run simple air-source heat pumps 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:19.093 than we can by piping that gas to those places and burning it locally for the vast majority of the winter. 00:14:19.093 --> 00:14:26.213 So long as we are going to use natural gas, that is full stop the smarter way to use it most of the time. 00:14:26.213 --> 00:14:29.346 And most of the time is what actually matters, folks. 00:14:29.680 --> 00:14:32.498 There are also some other marginal benefits to this. 00:14:32.498 --> 00:14:35.295 In places that have district heating infrastructure, 00:14:35.295 --> 00:14:38.720 the waste heat from those power  plants could be used to heat buildings nearby. 00:14:39.680 --> 00:14:43.934 We have very little of that in the US so, ya know... 00:14:43.934 --> 00:14:48.296 yay, but methane itself is a really potent greenhouse gas 00:14:48.296 --> 00:14:51.552 and leaks in the infrastructure are problematic. 00:14:51.552 --> 00:14:56.147 The fact that we have pipes filled with it everywhere around here 00:14:56.147 --> 00:15:01.239 and there are countless fittings, junctions, valves, pumping stations, and who knows what else 00:15:01.239 --> 00:15:04.082 means we have a lot of potential for leaks. 00:15:04.082 --> 00:15:07.402 Eliminating that infrastructure, or at least reducing its use, 00:15:07.402 --> 00:15:09.840 can reduce those impacts of natural gas as well. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.010 Of course, and for the long-term most importantly, 00:15:14.010 --> 00:15:17.864 being electric, a heat pump is energy agnostic. 00:15:17.864 --> 00:15:20.555 It doesn’t have to be powered by natural gas, 00:15:20.555 --> 00:15:24.290 it can be powered by the sun, by the wind, or by the atom. 00:15:24.290 --> 00:15:29.805 And since they use any of those resources  much more efficiently than resistive heating does, 00:15:29.805 --> 00:15:35.175 they allow us to electrify many more homes  and businesses with today’s grid output, 00:15:35.175 --> 00:15:40.404 and reduce the need for the grid to grow as  more and more places ditch gas altogether. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:46.160 Heat pumps are incredibly important not just  for their immediate ability to curb gas use,   00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:49.115 but for their long-term sustainability. 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:53.548 Now, I do want to answer a question I’m sure many  of you are asking: 00:15:53.548 --> 00:15:57.208 what happens on those *really* cold days? 00:15:57.208 --> 00:15:58.705 Well, that depends. 00:15:58.705 --> 00:16:04.983 Many units now guarantee operation down to -13°F which is -25°C, 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:10.530 but they won’t attain their full output and will  have a poor COP at that temp. 00:16:10.530 --> 00:16:15.795 Still generally better than 1, though, so it still makes sense  to run over resistive heat. 00:16:15.795 --> 00:16:18.630 If that’s about the coldest temperature you ever experience, 00:16:18.630 --> 00:16:23.476 you may not need a backup at all assuming your home is insulated well enough. 00:16:23.476 --> 00:16:27.689 But, having some sort of backup may be required depending on where you are. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:33.760 If you have a centrally ducted system this can be  auxiliary, high-powered electric heating elements   00:16:33.760 --> 00:16:37.524 often known as heat strips which are placed in  the air handler. 00:16:37.524 --> 00:16:42.097 Or you could be pairing a heat pump up with a gas furnace if you so desire. 00:16:42.097 --> 00:16:45.329 The backup can be as simple as a few space heaters, 00:16:45.329 --> 00:16:48.382 which might be ideal if you’ve chosen a ductless system, 00:16:48.382 --> 00:16:53.258 although they’re not very efficient and can be dangerous if not properly used. 00:16:53.258 --> 00:17:00.216 It should also be noted that simply bundling up and choosing to tolerate cooler indoor temperatures during those periods is also an option. 00:17:00.640 --> 00:17:03.243 The thing to keep in mind about these  backups, though, 00:17:03.243 --> 00:17:07.004 is that they are needed only in exceptional cases. 00:17:07.004 --> 00:17:12.600 And because modern heat pumps will operate down to -25°C, or -13°F 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:15.468 those cases can be quite rare. 00:17:15.468 --> 00:17:18.696 Going back to that 2018-2019 winter season, 00:17:18.696 --> 00:17:23.611 here around Chicago we were below that temperature for about 32 hours total, 00:17:23.611 --> 00:17:26.538 all consecutive during that polar vortex event. 00:17:26.538 --> 00:17:29.040 This past winter, it never got that cold. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:34.496 Again, I know we’re talking about what are today  exceptionally good heat pumps. 00:17:34.990 --> 00:17:37.695 Plenty are on the market that don’t perform that well, 00:17:37.695 --> 00:17:41.352 and won’t perform at all at those cold temps. 00:17:41.352 --> 00:17:46.635 But there are tons of places with much milder heating needs than here, 00:17:46.635 --> 00:17:51.220 and in those places the more average-performing models will be great fits. 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:54.399 That’s why they’re pretty common already in the southern US. 00:17:54.560 --> 00:17:59.029 And let’s not forget - we’re probably only  going to get better at building heat pumps 00:17:59.029 --> 00:18:00.626 as time goes on. 00:18:00.626 --> 00:18:03.046 In fact, of that I am certain. 00:18:03.046 --> 00:18:09.867 I’ll be surprised if in 10 years from now, a COP of 2.5 isn’t maintained down to truly arctic temps. 00:18:10.666 --> 00:18:18.220 And also, I do just want to note that every home I’ve lived in so far has had a single point of failure when it comes to the heating system. 00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:23.280 When the furnace has stopped working, which it  has, the space heaters come out until it’s fixed. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:28.475 Maybe don’t fixate on the whole backup situation all that much, is what I’m saying. 00:18:29.120 --> 00:18:32.960 OK, so I hope we’re in agreement that heat pumps are amazing devices   00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:38.400 and reduce our need for literally any source of  energy in all but the most extreme temperatures.   00:18:39.040 --> 00:18:44.080 And to reiterate, that not only means we can  burn less gas as we transition away from it,   00:18:44.080 --> 00:18:49.710 but also means we need fewer wind turbines, solar farms, nuclear plants, batteries, hydro storage facilities... 00:18:50.148 --> 00:18:55.576 literally whatever because reducing the amount of energy we need to heat buildings 00:18:55.576 --> 00:19:03.599 reduces the need for all those things and so  makes transitioning to an all-electric future much, much easier. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.587 I say again, with vigor; 00:19:05.587 --> 00:19:07.152 More pumping. 00:19:07.152 --> 00:19:08.136 More now. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:11.657 But what does that future look like? 00:19:11.657 --> 00:19:14.240 Well, that is in many ways up to you. 00:19:15.040 --> 00:19:19.561 Air-source heat pumps are really just slightly  refined air conditioners, 00:19:19.561 --> 00:19:23.610 and they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and applications - 00:19:23.610 --> 00:19:26.182 some of which are really exciting! 00:19:26.182 --> 00:19:29.896 However, we also have many challenges we need to overcome— 00:19:29.896 --> 00:19:32.830 some real, and some artificial. 00:19:32.830 --> 00:19:35.800 But this video’s gone on pretty long as it is. 00:19:35.800 --> 00:19:40.963 I hope you enjoyed this new part 2? Part 2.5? of my heat pump series, 00:19:40.963 --> 00:19:45.195 and in part three we’ll talk about what it  takes to install a heat pump - 00:19:45.195 --> 00:19:50.386 both literally, as in, like, what the parts are, where  they go, and how they connect together. 00:19:50.386 --> 00:19:56.631 And a look at why the process can be so hard - and what we need to do to fix that. 00:19:57.594 --> 00:20:00.168 ♫ importantly smooth jazz ♫ 00:20:01.555 --> 00:20:02.852 and air conditioners, 00:20:02.852 --> 00:20:06.523 and we're finally starting to collectively realize... 00:20:06.523 --> 00:20:08.254 hoo I'm out of breath! 00:20:08.254 --> 00:20:10.501 So... what's this one for. 00:20:10.501 --> 00:20:14.742 Well, heat pumps are at the t.... [haughhghhg noises] 00:20:14.742 --> 00:20:18.274 Largely because I ignored the developments that are already... 00:20:18.274 --> 00:20:20.507 whoops. That have happened! 00:20:20.507 --> 00:20:21.786 [inhales]. 00:20:21.974 --> 00:20:22.500 Hi. 00:20:23.628 --> 00:20:24.128 Hi. 00:20:27.710 --> 00:20:28.836 Hang on a second. 00:20:29.706 --> 00:20:32.081 My eyes are playing tricks on me. 00:20:32.081 --> 00:20:33.687 Which is this one. Right now. 00:20:33.687 --> 00:20:36.594 It actuallya mae.... 00:20:37.534 --> 00:20:40.339 I'm not gonna do that for you because I don't porsess... 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:41.592 Oh crud. 00:20:41.592 --> 00:20:45.498 Porsess? I don't porsess the exportise? 00:20:47.097 --> 00:20:49.296 So, more pumping more now, amirite? 00:20:49.296 --> 00:20:54.837 Seriously, this is probably the single most impactful thing we could be doing in the immediate future for *so* many reasons and in *so* many ways. 00:20:54.837 --> 00:21:00.636 Manufacturers need to get cranking, and as we'll see in Part 3... American manufacturers in particular need to learn how to make a decent heat pump. 00:21:00.636 --> 00:21:02.255 They're really... quite mediocre at the moment.