If you can replace what you're saying with "vegan" or "crossfit", change your language.
The hype and politicization of electrification is making me have to back away from it. That sucks.
Electrification is simply better: heat pumps provide better comfort than furnaces done right, EVs are better cars done right. It's a step forward, not back. Focus on benefits.
Avoid strong negatives - screeching about people with gas stoves poisoning their children does not get them to move, it gets them to lock in place.
Gentle folks, gentle. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Right now the narrative is moving too fast which will end up being slow.
We're on course for 2060-2070 home decarb date. We haven't actually moved that date forward yet, and most efforts we see are pushing it back.
Stop with politicization and guilt/shame tactics. It's harder for those of us in the trenches to work.
PS Note that I haven't been around here much lately.
I've largely given up on #energytwitter to help move mainstream electrification.
Back to focusing on HVAC 2.0 - a different way to sell HVAC by solving problems - it may be the only good way to get to 2055 completion.
PPS Current tactics are only making it harder to cross the chasm to mainstream.
@rewiringamerica there isn't a single piece of your content I'll share with our contractors or homeowners. Think on that. It's a problem. Stop with the IRA calculator.
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We're in for a heat pump PR debacle right now: the cheapest heat pumps that qualify for a federal IRA incentive are HORRIBLE at dehumidification.
The only viable fix is a requirement for a dehumidification mode and probably reheat dehumidification from @ENERGYSTAR standards.
The curse is this will take multiple years to implement, in the meantime many thousands of people will get sick and their homes are likely to become unhealthy and moisture damaged. Both are like cancer patients - you are in remission, never cured.
The odds are high that this will create a nasty PR problem for heat pumps and set things back, not move them forwards.
As longtime #electrifyeverything advocates (we removed our first gas meter in 2014), this pains us greatly.
Stop setting up inflated expectations. You’re fucking those of us in the field. There’s no way to recover from this, consumers think we’re scamming them.
Everything in this document sets up expectations we can’t even begin to meet. Free?!?! Seriously?!?!
I’m fucking pissed. You are making it impossible to create goodwill.
Stop this shit. It’s a pattern. You’re hurting not helping.
Btw at present a well installed ducted heat pump costs ~$15-30k. The low end is basic single stage stuff, the high end is top of the line cold climate with some duct modifications and air quality upgrades like a fresh air duct.
Good insulation is expensive. Let's do a quick exercise on why. A 🧵
Let's think of a flat 1200 sf attic/loft, could be a 1200 square foot ranch or 2400 sf two story home. This isn't spray foaming the roof deck which is the other main option. 1
To air seal, you really want to remove all existing insulation to expose air sealing opportunities.
Every time we do this, we find surprises.
Cost: $1.25-2.00/square foot, $1500-$2400
2
Bath fans should be installed and vented outside properly to reduce the risk of mold in the attic and home, plus keep mirrors clear for shaving.
Sometimes they have to be installed, sometimes just vented outdoors. Often there are two.
We have a major concern with the heat pump tax incentives in the IRA: they create a cliff that could be very problematic.
I'll illustrate with a system we put in in two of our AirBnbs, the Daikin Fit, and give a potential solution. 1
Let's talk benefits of the Fit:
The Fit has roughly half the wholesale cost of the Carrier Infinity GreenSpeed heat pump we've been using almost exclusively for a decade.
It's a next gen product that has full output to 5F, which is better than the GreenSpeed. 2
It's fully communicating, meaning the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, & the thermostat all talk to each other and vary things to optimize comfort, efficiency, & dehumidification.
I've been very impressed at the dehumidification capabilities, which is critical in humid climates. 3