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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
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