[snark42]

> What about those in the northern half of the US that also need back-up heat for when it is very cold?

This heat pump is supposed to work to -15F and includes back-up resistive heat. Theoretically it can replace a heater and air conditioner anywhere. I know people north of Chicago that use a similar heat pump and resistive backup system and it's been fine to -30F keeping the house at 69F.

> I don't know the contractors they are talking about, but I literally had to say the words "heat pump" to my local Carrier installer and they did all the rest.

There's definitely a bias against them when natural gas is available. Until probably the past 3-4 years very few HVAC contractors in the midwest were familiar with heat pumps or had bad experiences 5-15 years back and recommended against them as it's "too cold" for them to work here.

[andrewem]

My gas-powered water heater failed in my northern US location. I asked a friend who’s a plumbing engineer (!) who said to get a heat pump. I called the HVAC company which had installed the gas water heater and gas furnace some years before and asked for a heat pump water hearer, and they said oh yeah we sell one of those and people love it. I get the feeling that as you say 5-15 years ago it would have been a different story but now it’s routine.

[cmui]

Heat pump water heaters are great, also a much simpler install than an HVAC system.

[shjake]

Resistive heating is very extremely inefficient compared to gas though

[m_d_]

Clarification: resistive heating is very near 100% efficient, meaning that all of the energy you pull ends up in the air or water it is meant for. Gas water heating is at the very best ~90-95% efficient (e.g., top-end condensing tankless water heaters), but often as low as 60%: plenty of heat going out the exhaust. You think resistive heating is inefficient because policy has made electricity much more expensive per kwh than gas/oil.