Electrifying the House

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just be aware, a heat pump doesn’t give you that toasty warm feeling you get with gas or oil heat.

That may have been true 30-40 years ago when heat pumps first hit the scene. They've come a long way since then. The modern cold-climate designs are incredibly comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An all electric heat pump will cost more to run than a gas furnace/electric AC.

This generally is true. It might vary a bit depending on how a given house is insulated.

Insulation has absolutely nothing to do with it, insulation benefits equally regardless of the heating system.

What matters is the cost of electricity, the cost of gas, the efficiency of the heat pump and the efficiency of the gas burner. Heat pump efficiency varies by outside temperature, gas burner efficiency doesn't, so it is somewhat dependent upon your climate.

In DC, if you have solar the subsidies are so generous they are in effect paying you to use electricity. The more electricity you use, the bigger the solar collector you're allowed to have, they more you get paid. A heat pump is a money maker.