What should i consider about heat pumps and the grid's energy mix?

[NatalieWP]

I’m trying to figure out if my family’s plan to install a heat pump is actually a good move for reducing our home’s emissions, or if we’re overlooking some bigger picture issue with the grid’s energy mix. It feels like a solid step, but I keep wondering if just switching our heating source is enough when the electricity powering it might still come from fossil fuels.

[JosephJ]

I swapped our gas furnace for a heat pump last year and felt like we were on the right track. The grid in our region still runs a lot on fossil fuel, so it isn’t a unicorn solution. I try to track emissions roughly by monthly kWh and it varies with the grid mix, not just what we’re using at home.

[Alexander18]

In our town the big picture is the grid mix, not the device. Even with a new heating system, if the generator is coal heavy, you’re just swapping one source for another.

[MasonT]

We did the upgrade and the bill savings weren’t as big as we hoped. We measured daily kWh and saw about a 15% drop overall, but winter costs rose when the system ran more hours during cold snaps.

[Kyle.B]

Is the real issue the insulation and air sealing? We ignored weatherization for a long time and the equipment started running constantly because the house leaks heat.

[MilaSG]

We’ve tried using time of use rates and it felt like a tug-of-war. It was hard to shift the heating to off-peak when the temps dropped, and the thermostat kept kicking in during peak anyway.

[Jack.S]

One tangent I went on last month was thinking about solar or a microgrid option, but I kept getting pulled back to the basics like windows and attic insulation. I’m not sure if that tangent helps much.