Heat Pumps: the Future of Home Heating
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN's default recommendation for a friendly, thorough introduction to heat pumps and why they are so efficient.
What it is
Technology Connections explains how heat pumps work as reversed air conditioners and why they can deliver several times the heat of resistive heating per unit of energy. It also tackles common myths such as poor cold-weather performance.
Recommended by 17 HN commenters across 15 different months, 2021 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec pickledish · 2021-11 · on “A toaster from 1949 is still smarter than any sold today”
His whole channel (called Technology Connections) is probably my favorite one on YouTube, can’t recommend it enough! My favorites are his series on refrigeration and heat pumps, for example this one: [this video] Edit: to clarify, this article is based on an old Technology Connections video, and the creator of that video has lots more!
Strong rec sushiburps · 2023-02 · on “200-year old heat pump technology is back”
Highly recommend the YouTube channel 'Technology Connections' videos on heat pumps: [this video] [LINK] [LINK] [LINK]
Recommends tempay · 2021-04 · on “IBM employee forced to stop kernel work under personal email address”
> no wasted power Electric heating can be much more efficient than what's effectively resistive heating with 500%+ efficiencies being possible. Search for "heat pumps" or watch: [this video]
Recommends coldpie · 2021-05 · on “Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?”
> So the heat pumps can also do cooling during the summer? Here's a pair of really great videos about heat pumps and what they can (and could, in the future) do: [this video] [LINK]
Recommends rhinoceraptor · 2021-06 · on “So you want to build a house more efficiently”
This video is a great explainer on heat pumps [1]. The TL;DR is that they are essentially nothing more than air conditioners that run in the opposite direction. Plus, a heat pump and an air conditioner can be combined into a single system. 1: [this video]
Recommends scrollaway · 2021-08 · on “The Ancient Persian way to keep cool”
> I'm wondering if there's any low-energy or green solutions to this. The answer is "it depends". How your flat is designed will have an impact on what you can do. But if you are able and willing to do some house work, there is a lot you can have control over. At the end of the day, it's all about how you can control humidity, the flow of hot and cold air and humidity. At your disposal, tools such as conductive materials, insulating materials, etc. Google "passive house" to see the concept and what these things use. With that said. Heat pumps are incredibly efficient, and replacing your heater with a reversible air conditioner which you can then run in both summer and winter will do far more
Recommends Kerrick · 2021-12 · on “Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2021 – Show and tell”
Our house is electrically heated via a heat pump, which has appreciably more efficiency than a resistance heater (or computer). Here's a neat video about them: [this video]
Recommends downrightmike · 2022-02 · on “Building a modern home in the woods”
There are highly efficient heat pump powered water heaters, going out anywhere remote, these and other heat pump systems should really be used. This is a really great overview [this video]