John Gilmer wrote:


If your thinking geothermal heat pump heating, then you might be correct.
If you're talking about resistive heating in cold weather and air-to-air
heat pump in mild weather, then you don't understand electric rates in
the northeast US.

I understand very little about the NE United States.

But I do understand that even resistance heat can be cost effective under
certain circumstances. Resistance heat truly provides heat ONLY when and
where it is needed.

In the cold climates in most of northern USA, heat is definately needed Air
heat pumps don't cut it. Their efficiency falls way down in cold weather and on
top of that frequent defrost cycles (where you are pumping heat from the house
to the great outdoors) are required. Where available gas is fairly efficient.
Unlike oil, gas furnace/boilers can reach efficiencies in excess of 95%. If
you invest in high efficency heating, that can make quite a difference over the
years in cold climates.



Frankly, I have usually lived where electric rates are reasonable (partly
because the utilities have build and properly maintained nukes plants.)
With the Canada hydro power, the NE should have reasonably priced electric.
If the NE had a few more nukes ....

Actually nuclear power has proven to be one of the most expensive methods of
generation, save for peaker plants. Even where electric choice options have
come into place in the northeast, incumbent utilties still get cash from
ratepayers ("stranded costs") to pay for their nuclear white elephants, whether
that customer buys juice from that utility or not. In the 1960's the president
of PECo (and many others) said that nuclear energy would be too cheap to
meter. Today that utility, which spent billions and bilions and many more
billions building a small fleet of nuke reactors, is always in a photo finish
for the highest rates in the nation. And they want to stick their own security
costs for their private property to the state government (national guard) on
top of it. As if the Guard doesn't have enough to do. A neighboring utility
which decided to go in another direction is much cheaper.

Now if you live in an area where the utility is subsidized/owned by the
government and they run nuclear plants, then you may think differently, but
that's only because Uncle Sam is paying the extra bills. Say thank you to the
taxpayers.