If you live in the US, you are probably experiencing the some brutally cold weather right now. I know we are! I saw -10F on our thermometer this morning. This kind of weather is hard on everything and especially heating systems. Our house is primarily heated by a cold climate air source heat pump. For the skeptical out there wondering, “Can you really get heat from the air when it is below zero outside?” The short answer is, “Yes.” When I got home last night, the heat pump was blasting the room with hot air and I knew I had to document it.
Cold Climate Heat Pump in action
This photo shows the wireless thermostat on left displaying outside air temperature (-2F) and IR temperature sensor measuring the hot air output of the heat pump (+111.3F)
Here another photo of the outdoor unit:
Outdoor unit
In this photo, the IR sensor is showing the heat exchanger coil of outdoor unit at -15F. The fan was blowing right on me when I took this photo and I nearly got frostbite! Talk about windchill!
As you can see in these 2 photos, the heat pump is able to extract energy from subzero ambient air and deliver usable heat to the house. Chalk one up for technology!
Energy Freak Show 
If I ever had any doubts about the viability of heat pumps in Vermont winter, you’ve dispelled them forever in this post. By the way, congratulations on the article in this week’s Seven Days: http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/retrofitting-saving-energy-in-a-1950s-house/Content?oid=2500132
By: mandatta on January 8, 2015
at 12:03 pm