It’s just an air conditioner with an extra valve to reverse the flow.
They work in much colder weather than you are imagining.
They are more efficient than you are imagining.
They are even better if you look for the latest models coming out of the far east.
Actually do the calculations for how much power you need - don’t just let the installers say “This house currently has x kW of heating, therefore it will need an x kW heat pump” (same for the air conditioning mode)
It’s probably better to have a resistive heat backup for occasional extreme-cold days than to have an oversized heat pump.
Yeah, the biggest problem is mentality, I find. People expect to walk into a freezing cold house, thonk the BOOST button and have bouncing radiators in fifteen minutes. Heat Pumps ideally need to be left to their thermostats to maintain the temperature.
Obligatory reminder to watch Technology Connections on the correct sizing and backups - the initial quote might be 2x or 3x what you need.
Here’s the long version of the Technology Connections HVAC video
Is there an even longer version? Technology Connections is like LOTR - an extra few hours is always welcome.
Do you have a link? I can’t seem to find it.
Someone else linked the main video, here is the playlist.
Basics:
Yeah, the biggest problem is mentality, I find. People expect to walk into a freezing cold house, thonk the BOOST button and have bouncing radiators in fifteen minutes. Heat Pumps ideally need to be left to their thermostats to maintain the temperature.