Air conditioners are already heat-pumps. This change would moreso replace furnaces.
They’re heat pumps in a technical sense, but coloquial terms, a “heat pump” is a heat pump which can actually heat a space.
The outside is a space too.
It’s weird that there are any AC that can’t function in heating mode at this point. In Australia at least, you’d be hard pressed to even find one that doesn’t support heating.
I, for one, would support a law that requires any new unit over a certain size must be reversible and maybe even a tier where they must have variable speed compressors. But I can already hear the Republicans lying that the feds are coming to steal your window units.
But I can already hear the Republicans lying that the feds are coming to steal your window units.
Of course, even modern window units (and portable AC) support reverse cycle. But conservatives will find a way to complain about it, agreed.
AFAIK most American AC units can be retrofitted to be heat pumps pretty easily. You’re just making it flow in reverse, after all.
They mean to say replace heat pumps with reverse cycle heat pumps
Wait arent air conditioners heat pumps???
Because it costs about $5 more to put in a valve which lets them work both ways, and people don’t really know that this is a possibility, so they don’t ask for it.
Most modern ones are. But the old models don’t have a reverse cycle built into them. Also, for efficient heating in low temperatures you might want a different gas. Maybe not as relevant in California, but normally you wouldn’t be able to use your AC as a heat pump in below 0 celcius.
The article title really confused me, because a heat pump is basically an air conditioner anyway.
homeowners to replace their aging or broken central air conditioners with electric heat pumps. The climate-friendly appliances can both warm and cool buildings by pulling heat from outside to indoors or vice versa.
What are the environmental impacts of manufacturing of replacement heat pump units to replace functioning A/C units vs keeping them?
This is about a regulation for new construction, so it’s kind of a moot point.
The key question is going to be whether refrigerant in the old unit is properly disposed of. Likely a net benefit so long as it is.
If the existing A/C don’t support heating, then presumably heat pumps are displacing far inferior gas or resistive electric units (or even wood burning heaters). Heat pumps absolutely destroy them in terms of efficiency, and it’s hard to believe the embodied emissions plus ongoing emissions would be worse with a heat pump. And just as importantly, the fossil fuel industry needs to be made unprofitable as soon as possible, and anything that gets people off gas is therefore a good thing.
we need to mandate that any AC unit also be a heat pump to sell it here, it’s like one valve difference just mandate it 5 years out. also ban gas lines to new buildings
Water heaters can work via the refrigeration cycle as well.
This is the most confusing headline lmao
Definitely. Bad headlines are unfortunately common
