Oil and Gas get massive subsidies every year, but a huge part of it are the very popular heating oil subsidies that keep people alive in the winter. Could these be reduced or replaced if instead the government gave money towards families purchasing electric heaters and spending their money on that?
Edit: USA but i assume the problem is not uniquely ours
Yes rebates on heat pumps, especially inexpensive air to air heat pumps drive adoption. They are efficient and now work in almost any climate.
mmm…so they claim. I know people with heat pumps who needed to install secondary heating. Entirely depends on house size.
Using secondary heat for a few days or even a month a year is still a huge improvement, huge cost savings, and adds up to a massive reduction in annual carbon footprint, even if you’re using a fossil fuel furnace for secondary heat. People are crazy to not consider heat pumps as the primary heat option, especially if you already have central air conditioning, it’s basically the same machine, typically with the same connections and location, just physically somewhat bigger. Obviously it won’t work absolutely everywhere, but for the vast majority it’s a brilliant option and almost a drop-in replacement.
Of course it depends on the house; just like you wouldn’t put a moped engine in a tank, a heat pump needs to be sized for the space to be heated (or cooled).
If you’re installing the right sized heat pump for the space you’re heating, they’re great. If you try to heat Buckingham Palace with a space heater, you’re going to have a bad time.
Not just size, location. The best heat pumps stop working at around -20. Where I live it gets colder than that for a few days every couple years so I must have secondary heating.
The common heat pump in the US is only good to 25. There is no reason for this, but I don’t know how to fix it.