"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
k.net...
In article op.z927scfkwdg98l@glass, says...

The USA has snowy parts does it not? Have they not realised you can
reverse those AC units?



I have a heat pump. It does the heating and cooling.

I live about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the US. We do not
usually have very many days where it gets below 15 deg F.

Heat pumps loose efficency below about 25 deg F. Around 15 deg F they
are really poor and probably cost as much as resistive electrical heat to
run.

Not with a big enough external heat exchanger.

They usually have electrical heating elements in
the inside duct work to help when it is very cold.

No they don't where the electricity isnt cheap.

That is the reason that most of the Norther states where it gets to
near zero F and lower the heat pumps are not used . It is usually
more efficent and less expensive to use other forms of heat.

I have never checked the price but I would think there should
not be much difference in a heat pump and plain air condition.

There isnt that big a difference if you don't care about the
poor performance when the outside air temp gets below 25F

I would install the heat pump and another form of heat.

Makes more sense to use a gas air heater when piped gas
is available and a sensible price. Much cheaper capital cost
and maintenance cost.

And there is also ground sourced heat pumps but they
are much more expensive again capital cost wise.

There are some units called a gas pack. They have
natural gas for the heat and electric for the AC.

Yeah, that's just a different way of doing gas powered
air heating for the winter, sharing the ducting and fan
with the summer and winter modes.