Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site leadsv.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!cae780!leadsv!morse From: morse@leadsv.UUCP (Terry Morse) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: Re: My "FUSION this decade?" this article Message-ID: <552@leadsv.UUCP> Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 13:17:28 EDT Article-I.D.: leadsv.552 Posted: Thu Aug 8 13:17:28 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 04:13:14 EDT References: <467@sri-arpa.ARPA> Organization: Lockheed, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 20 Summary: heat pump efficiency In article <467@sri-arpa.ARPA>, mcgeer%ucbkim%Berkeley)@sri-unix.ARPA writes: > > I take it that efficiency, for purposes of this discussion, is > joules of heat delivered/joules consumed in operation. What is the typical > efficiency of a commercial heat pump? > > Rick. When talking about heat pumps, the term for "efficiency" is called coefficient of performance, which is defined by joules out over joules in. It is mostly driven by the amount of temperature rise required. It can be as low as 1.5 or as high as 4 (some solar assisted water source heat pumps can attain a COP of 4). Unless natural gas is very expensive or unattainable, even a heat pump costs more than a gas furnace to operate. -- Terry Morse (408)743-1487 { seismo!nsc!cae780 } | { sun!sunncal } !leadsv!morse