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Originally Posted by tw
A heat pump works by trying to cool outside air - thereby heating inside air. However as outside temperature drops below 40F, the heat pump has little outside heat to pump inside. Therefore (and unlike other heating systems) a heat pump must also have the 'emergency heat' function. That is typically electric heat - very expensive. Thermostat must have extra functions to control that 'emergency heat' function.
Heat pumps generally are most efficient at latitudes and temperatures of North Carolina.
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Up at our latitude, it's more likely to be working on a subterranean heat source/sink than on the outside air.
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Originally Posted by Wikipedia
Because a ground-coupled heat pump in heating mode draws heat from the ground or groundwater, which below a depth of about eight feet is at a relatively constant temperature year-'round, its COP is often higher on average than for an air-coupled heat pump—its COP is more constant year—'round. The tradeoff for this improved performance is that a ground-coupled heat pump is usually more complicated due to the need for wells or buried coils, and thus is also usually much more expensive to install than an air-coupled heat pump. |
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per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions
The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.
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