this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] zout@fedia.io 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Only with small temperature differences, the higher the difference the lower the COP.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

You need a giant asterisk there. That "small temperature difference" is -40° to 120°F

[–] zout@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I really don't get where those temperatures come from? I was referring to something like this. The higher the temperature difference between cold and warm side, to worse the COP gets. If you wanted to go from ambient to 200°C, the COP would drop lower than 1 and you'd be better off using an electric boiler.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My point is that the "small difference in temperatures" where it's worthwhile to run a heat pump is still wide enough to run an air-exchange heat pump cost effectively damn near anywhere on Earth outside of the poles. You're arguing the finges when almost nobody would be affected by it.

And if you're using a geothermal heat pump, your thermal sink continuously sits around 50°F (while homes tend to be kept at 65-75°F), which means it should always be efficient.

Quit this conservative-esque route of arguing. It's bullshit and you know it.

[–] zout@fedia.io 2 points 3 months ago

You need to quit the bullshit yourself and learn to read. We were specifically discussing heat pumps for industrial heat use in the sub 250 degrees Celsius range, not keeping a house at a comfortable temperature. But good luck heating a home in the desert with a heat pump with the evaporator on a solar boiler.