Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

I hope your heating is more energy efficient than heating with electric light bulbs though!

(And it should be - worst comes to worst basic electrical heating can be effectively 100% efficient, and heat pumps can do better)




Light bulbs are resistive heaters, and they are also 100% efficient at making heat. Some of it just bounces around the room as light first.


Light bulbs are also nearly 100% efficient, minus whatever fraction of light seeps out through windows or similar. As is just about anything else electric. Unfortunately that heat is usually suboptimally distributed, and pales in comparison to the heat pump effective efficiency which as you mentioned can go well above 100%.


When is electric heating not 100% efficient? I thought they were by definition.


Heat pumps achieve greater thermal output than the input energy, unlike electric resistance heating.

The latter is 100% efficient (all energy in is delivered as heat). Heat pumps exceed 100% efficiency, and can deliver 3 to 6 times the heat energy as input, as they are moving heat from the exterior environment to the heated space.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: