Have we really thought through the implications of Heat Pumps?
I have been commenting negatively about rapid additions of residential heat pumps before the electric service grids are decarbonized.?Requiring the premature replacement of residential furnaces with heat pumps will increase GHG discharge into the atmosphere. ?When existing gas or coal fired power plants are replaced by solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, nuclear, hydrogen power sources, then the addition of heat pumps will help reduce GHGs.
In my opinion, the majority of current funding and effort should be placed on increasing solar and wind farms, and on developing mini-grids and energy storage facilities in centralized areas.?Then heat pumps and other electrification can be phased in as the renewable sources are brought online.?Eventually the gas and coal power plants can be retired.
An exception to this suggestion would be if a residential gas furnace were in need of replacement, then the replacement should be with a heat pump, rather than another gas furnace.?Which brings up the cost difference issue.?Heat pumps cost significantly more than gas furnaces.?I suggest that the cost difference should be provided to the homeowner who is making the replacement in the form of a subsidy or rebate.?A tax credit would not be appropriate since there are many people who have matched their withholding with their tax liability, and they would not get any benefit from the tax credit.
Another issue is with low income and disadvantaged homeowners.?Asking them to replace their furnaces and other gas equipment would be a significant burden.?If laws or regulations are put in place to eliminate all gas burning appliances, some type of funding will have to be made available to those homeowners. ?
Setting climate goals is a good thing.?But, getting the “cart before the horse” is not a good way to try to achieve those goals.?Requiring heat pumps to replace existing gas furnaces would be extremely expensive to the homeowner and would actually increase GHG and other harmful pollutants in our atmosphere.?Clean up the electric grids first! ?
