[derkoe]

Most heat pumps fall back to electric heating when it's too cold. So, on these few days you will need the same amount of electricity a typical electric heating will need.

[thehappypm]

This is untrue. Mitsubishi hyper heat units do not have this feature, and they’re the gold standard. I wish they did, though

[sokoloff]

Hyper Heat is a tech that is on multiple different models of Mitsubishi. All of the SVZ (ducted air handlers attachable to Hyper Heat or H2i mini-splits) do support (optional) electric resistance heater kits.

[tomohawk]

which spikes the electricity demand from the grid and puts it under the most strain when its most critical for the grid to stay up, which means the grid has to be overdesigned, which means that the air based heat pumps are a poor choice for a reliable grid.

[sanderjd]

I don't think this conclusion follows. It is true that variability is a challenge for grids, but it is not clear that it is better to trade more total energy usage (per useful unit of work) for less variability. Variability is certainly a challenge, but not an insurmountable one, and also one that must be faced regardless nearly everywhere, as solar power has become too cost-effective to be ignored.

[rssoconnor]

The demand comes at the coldest part of the day, which is typically overnight, which is far off peek demand times.

[beejiu]

The UK is rolling out smart meters to every property. In the past 2 winters (following on the Russian gas crisis), they have run programs that pay £3 per kWh reduced demand. This is a nice way to balance the grid during extreme demand.

[yurishimo]

It depends on where you are. In many places worldwide, extreme cold is also generally quite clear from clouds unless you're literally in a storm, in which case, the high winds are just as likely to cause problems. Rooftop solar should be more than enough to offset your own usage.

[jtbayly]

Isn’t electricity demand always going to be highest on the coldest days?