North American versus European distribution systems (2011)

Re:North American versus European distribution systems (2011) by ptaipale on Monday August 26, 2019 @09:26AM (#20799668)

Direct electric heating typically runs on 240 V, but at least in Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden) electric heating is often a central heating via hot water circulation.

Here it used to be common that there's a rather large water tank (1 cubic meter or even more) that is heated up during night time when electricity was cheaper, and then gives out the warmth during day. This is no longer a feasible use case because night time usage of electricity has gone up and night electricity is not cheaper.

Heat pumps (operating with drilled wells going 100 m deep) have become more common. The pumps take 400V 3-phase.

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Re:North American versus European distribution systems (2011) by Yaggo on Monday August 26, 2019 @10:15AM (#20800022)

Air-to-air heat pumps are really common. No new houses are built relying on direct (resistive) heating, at least they have water circulation under floor so you can later upgrade to alternative heat sources.

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Re:North American versus European distribution systems (2011) by ptaipale on Monday August 26, 2019 @01:04PM (#20801568)

Exactly. Circulation under floor is good for heat pumps with drilled wells as heat source; there the water is not that hot (often around 40 degrees C after pump.)

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