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.
It's one of many challenges with #downstreamincentives that affect the kitchen table transactions. IRA also makes the sales and install transaction significantly harder.
We've had a decade to ruminate on it, there are no good downstream programs that lead to scale.

Stop proposing them! We're in for a real clusterf*ck on IRA, I truly wish that part of the program didn't exist. Remember the source, this should make you step back.
If you want to learn more about dehumidification and ways to get there, it may be worth following the #HVAC20show, we will be discussing dehumidification and fresh air over the next 3 weeks. Mondays at 8:15 PM EST, high nerd level.

youtube.com/live/vMIAVGrFB…

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More from @energysmartwv

Mar 14
PSA: Early adopter language about electrification is repulsive to the mainstream.

There's too much early adopter language right now, to finish by 2050 we need to be hitting mainstream #ASAP.

#electrifyeverything Image
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.
Read 8 tweets
Feb 8
Do you remember the Sick Building Syndrome in the 1970s?

It came from buildings getting too wet and not having enough outdoor air piped in.

With the IRA heat pump incentives rolling out, we're almost certain to see a resurgence of it.

A 🧵
Old school air conditioners ran very cold indoor coils that act like sponges and suck the humidity out of the air.

As we've pushed for higher efficiencies, the tradeoff is that we get more cooling, but less dehumidification like the chart shows.
80% of Americans live in a humid climate. And they're getting more humid.

We've seen a big increase in wet houses, I did this presentation, The Coming Mold Explosion, back in 2018 at the Healthy Buildings Summit.

bit.ly/ComingMoldExpl…
Read 15 tweets
Jan 5
$7500 for an installed ducted heat pump @rewiringamerica ?!?!

The equipment alone costs more than that!

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.

content.rewiringamerica.org/reports/Rewiri…
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.

Most consumers will qualify for a $2k fed credit.
Read 7 tweets
Nov 9, 2022
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.

Cost: $500-3000

3
Read 13 tweets
Sep 21, 2022
Some wonder why we don't advocate more for external wall insulation (wrapping a new wall around the outside of a house). This is why.

A 🧵
Our last house was a beautiful 1835 home outside Cleveland Ohio, I figured it would be $70K-100K to do external insulation on.

How much did it save? It modeled $250/year. That would be closer to $500/year now, but that's a 140-200 year payback.

That's not uncommon.

Ugh.

2
That house had a gas boiler with hot water radiators like most of the UK/EU.

I tested what water temperature it needed to keep the house warm on a design day (5F/-15C). It was 180F/82C. 3
Read 32 tweets
Aug 6, 2022
The Dangers of Cliffs, a 🧵

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
Read 25 tweets

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