Heat pumps are the future of building HVAC. These devices are similar to air conditioners in the way they use refrigerant and not air to move heat, but they can both heat and cool the air, replacing the need for a second system for heat. They have proven to be more efficient than gas furnaces, and they can be run on clean energy. Countries around the world are incentivizing the installation of heat pumps in order to hit carbon emission targets. Cities like NYC are already starting to take out their gas pipeline infrastructure to make room for heat pump lines.

But for all of the benefits that heat pumps have, they have fatal flaws, or at least that is what we are being told. In extremely cold temperatures, heat pumps struggle or can fail. Since heat pumps work by moving heat around, it becomes much harder for them when outside temperatures drop. Plus, since they use a coil outside of the building, they need to defrost themselves to prevent that coil from freezing over when temperatures drop too low.

The last few weeks have been particularly cold in much of the U.S., and next week, it looks like it will be even worse. But with all of the bad weather, there have been relatively few reports of heat pumps failing. If heat pumps are able to survive this chilly winter, it might help make the case for property owners who are still unsure about upgrading to the new(ish) technology.

Many think that heat pumps are already ready for prime (winter) time. They point to the high adoption levels in Scandinavia as proof of how they can be trusted even in the coldest environments.

There is evidence that some of the naysaying around heat pumps is being pushed by industry interest. In the UK, leaked documents showed how lobbyists for the gas boiler industry tried to delay the introduction of government programs to incentivize heat pump conversions.

Even if the worry about extreme cold is overblown, switching over to a heat pump is not always an easy decision. One of the advantages of heat pumps is that they can heat and cool each register differently, allowing buildings to only have more control over inevitable temperature differences. But installing all new registers is expensive, and it means abandoning a central ducting system that the building staff is used to. Heat pumps are also much more efficient when they can keep a room at a steady temperature rather than heating a room back up or cooling it back down when people show up. Turning off heating and cooling systems when no one is around can be a hard habit to break.

Heat pump technology is only getting better. At the Consumer Electronics Show this year Bosch unveiled a new residential heat pump that is designed to work down to -13 Fahrenheit. The question is how long will property owners wait before making the switch. Right now, only around 14 percent of households use heap pumps. Some of the landlords that have not yet made the switch could be waiting for the technology to prove its resilience in the weather where it is needed the most. This cold winter could turn out to be a good proving ground.

🙀 Copy of a copy: Yet another commission split lawsuit has been filed against the NAR and a long list of brokerages and local listing services in Los Angeles.

⭔ Sun power: As part of a governmental effort to promote solar energy the Defense Department will install solar panels on the Pentagon building.