Re:American energy use
by Declanomous on Monday May 08, 2017 @04:11PM
(#14295147)
My understanding is the limit to the heating potential of a heat pump system is the evaporator freezing over, which is why they are more popular in areas with low humidity. I think at a certain point the heat pumps spend so much time in defrost mode with the auxiliary heater running that they aren't economical.
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Wintertime humidity is rarely if ever high enough for frost buildup to be an issue--it's the humid shoulder seasons that have this problem, but your heating/cooling needs during those seasons aren't that high anyway, so defrost cycles won't lower comfort and efficiency all that much.