“If we want to be purely renewable, we’re going to have to electrify our home heating use,” Winkler said, “and heat pumps are currently the best way to do that.”
“Do you need to provide 100% of the heat with that heat pump?” Winkler said. “Or is it more cost-effective to provide 90% of heating with the heat pump and use an electrical backup resistance heater for those few days of the year it gets really cold?”
“It’s exciting because they are operating at lower temperatures than they historically have, which means they have the potential to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in cold climates,” Marsik said.