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Wood-burning homes targeted as major air polluters

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Costs (Score: 2, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-02-03 20:15 (#2WWB)

Wood is really cheap, and electricity is really expensive ($0.20/kWh in New Zealand, where incomes are really low).

If you've got a way to reverse those issues, you'll be onto something.

Re: Costs (Score: 2, Insightful)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-02-03 21:39 (#2WWD)

The solution is quite easy... Burn the wood in the electrical generating plants. That'll quickly fix both problems.

Also, heat pumps only require 1/3rd to 1/4th the electric of basic resistive heaters, and better units can operate down to air temperatures below NZ's lowest ever recorded. A ductless mini split or a PTAC heat pumps can be had for under $700, and the majority of the installation can be done by an average homeowner, with the pros doing the final hook-ups. Just check the specs for minimum temperature before buying, as some are much better than others.

Re: Costs (Score: 1)

by fnj@pipedot.org on 2015-02-05 13:45 (#2WX0)

Customary outside-air-sinked heat pumps are no good when you REALLY NEED heating. As the outside temperature approaches -18 C (0 F), the energy requirement approaches that of the much simpler electric resistance heater.

Geothermal-sinked heat pumps are much better, as a sink temperature of +10 or so is almost never more than a few feet underground. The tradeoff is cost and complexity.

Re: Costs (Score: 2, Insightful)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-02-05 14:43 (#2WX1)

As the outside temperature approaches -18 C (0 F), the energy requirement approaches that of the much simpler electric resistance heater
Actually, heat-pumps have been getting redesigned in recent years specifically to operate much more efficiently in cold climates. I was surprised to see how quickly they arrived on the market, myself, but they are out there.

Not sure what the best available is right now, but I was recently looking at Mitsubishi's "Hyper Heat" systems which offer "full heating capacity at 5° F [-15C] outdoor ambient" and continue "operation down to -13° F [-25C] outdoor" temperatures, at pretty good efficiency levels.
Geothermal-sinked heat pumps are much better
Yes, but the installation cost is many, many times higher, requires permitting, simply isn't viable in a large number of installation scenarios, and more. It's a superb method for extremely cold climates, but really not worth the cost in milder ones, particularly as air-source heat pumps improve.

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2015-02-05 14:43
As the outside temperature approaches -18 C (0 F), the energy requirement approaches that of the much simpler electric resistance heater
Actually, heat-pumps have been getting redesigned in recent years specifically to operate much more efficiently in cold climates. I was surprised to see how quickly they arrived on the market, myself, but they are out there.

Not sure what the best available is right now, but I was recently looking at Mitsubishi's "Hyper Heat" systems which offer "full heating capacity at 5° F [-15C] outdoor ambient" and continue "operation down to -13° F [-25C] outdoor" temperatures, at pretty good efficiency levels.
Geothermal-sinked heat pumps are much better
Yes, but the installation cost is many, many times higher, requires permitting, simply isn't viable in a large number of installation scenarios, and more. It's a superb method for extremely cold climates, but really not worth the cost in milder ones, particularly as air-source heat pumps improve.

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Time Reason Points Voter
2015-02-05 23:47 Insightful +1 fishybell@pipedot.org

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