Watching @TechConnectify second channel follow up video about the heat pump sizing. There's mention that an air co is a heat pump that is only of use for 6 months of the year.
The crazy thing is in some countries, the grants for installing heat pumps can only be used on equipment that does *not* have a cooling function. It has to be heat only.
@quixoticgeek Ugh, that's so frustrating. Like, in some ways, I get it - but you're not going to have anywhere near the cooling needs compared to heating needs unless the climate goes even more batshit than it's been going.
There seems to still be this mindset Over There that aircon is wasteful and American. But if people knew that our power grid's gonna be stressed more in the winter from heat pumps than it is now from AC in the summer... maybe minds would change.
@quixoticgeek And I'm not kidding - like, our grid is fine (mostly...) for running AC because everybody already has it. That part of it will get easier over time as new units replace old ones and use less power.
But moving winter heating from gas to electric is going to be the much bigger challenge grid-wise. So y'all should really feel free to have cooling, especially since cooling needs are greatest when solar output is highest!
@TechConnectify @quixoticgeek Here in Australia we’ve been using reverse cycling air conditioning (heat and cool heat pumps) as our primary systems for 1-2 decades, and it works great. Unfortunately we do have grid power issues from time to time in summer due to the air con load. I guess we kind of have the opposite issue to the cold climates, which makes sense.
@TechConnectify@mas.to @quixoticgeek@social.v.st It's ridiculous. Sure, we might only actually want to use the cooling for the two weeks a year that it's properly hot, but it's stupid to leave out the functionality entirely. Also, I strongly suspect that many British homes (and indeed lungs) would benefit from the dehumidification.
@kim @TechConnectify Not to mention that cooling demand would coincide with when there's peak solar output, so could use some of the excess capacity we'll invariably end up with.
It makes no sense.
@quixoticgeek@social.v.st @TechConnectify@mas.to sighs in British