It’s no secret that the planet is warming, and greenhouse gas emissions are a concern. While humans will need to make changes in their behavior to mitigate against climate change, not many of us know how to start making an impact. That’s where the humble heat pump comes in.

In the United States, roughly a third of greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, half of which are produced by heating said buildings. Not coincidentally, with the rise in global temperatures, the International Energy Agency reported that humans will expend even more energy to cool those same buildings, contributing to mounting emissions. The heat pump, by design, serves two purposes. 

Despite its namesake, heat pumps actually warm and cool buildings, making them 200-400% more efficient than systems like furnaces, boilers and baseboard heaters. These energy efficient wonders operate using electricity while incorporating the fundamentals of thermodynamics. 

“A heat pump is a very simple machine. It moves heat from one place to another, so you’re familiar with that process in your refrigerator” says Sean Brennan, a mechanical engineer and researcher  “You’re no longer going to be burning gas or oil inside your home. That’s really big for not just global carbon emissions but also particulates and NOx emissions that you don’t want inside your home.”

So what’s kept the United States from adopting heat pumps? It’s complicated, surely, and Brennan offers some insight. “Heating our homes and our offices is actually creating a lot of carbon emissions. Across the country the fuel that gets burned inside of our buildings is about thirteen percent of nationwide emissions. Forty percent or more of the emissions come from just that heating fuel. It’s a big, big problem.” Heat pump adoption isn’t without its share of other obstacles. “Those upfront costs can be substantial for a home, your single family home, it could be $20,000 so it’s not a small purchase, but government incentives are coming out to try to help with some of those costs” Brennan adds. Those incentives will be crucial in converting homeowners and landlords to make the switch from older, less efficient heating and cooling systems. 

According to some critics, the United States has been slow in rolling out tax incentives and rebate programs, further impacting the pricey adoption of heat pumps. Exacerbated by rising interest rates and inflation,  many homeowners may be reluctant to borrow money to install an expensive heat pump system without further government assistance. 

However, there is good news too. One 2022 report from the International Energy Agency suggests that operation of heat pumps are less expensive over time, creating cost savings long term. Elsewhere, countries like Norway have had success in transitioning to this more efficient system, led by robust government subsidies, providing a potential roadmap for reforms in policy for the rest of the globe.

As the demand for electricity rises, and energy sources become diversified between solar, wind and hydropower, planning for the future of electrification should be taken into consideration as well. “It’s easy to ask people in society to decarbonize, to electrify everything, we think of it as a switch. What we’ve found is that it’s better to plan these things out long-term, take them incrementally, starting with the things you have to replace and just get the heat pump equivalent.” 

As adoption expands of this humble technology, rebate programs, tax incentives and our duty to the planet should help to make the heat pump much more palatable, especially in the United States. As the world strives to reduce its carbon footprint, the dynamically efficient heat pump may serve as a much needed tool in the battle against a warming planet. 

To learn more about Midea’s heat pumps, visit mideaevox.com today.