Comments by "Golden Croc" (@GoldenCroc) on "" video.

Replacing functioning gas boilers with anything that demands electricity in the current extreme electric energy situation seems like madness to me. Heat pumps are great in many ways, but they have their limits for what can be expected.
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@leithblower Nope, just explaning how they work. Seems to be a lot of misunderstandings going round. Cost wise, its a questionable invesment if you got a reasonably cheap gas system already installed.
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Its certainly not "more efficient" from an energy utilization standpoint but it might well be cheaper, yes.
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@MarkJones-ji8fd Very good. I dont have 34 years of experience in the field myself, heck I am hardly much older than that, but I do know quite a bit of how the modern heat pump systems work I would say. Anyway, where I live, you cant get anything else than electric power. No gas availible. In fact, my house was built with no heating or plumbing considerations except direct electric heating. Such was the naive mindset with ubiquitous cheap nuclear power back then. Things have changed in just about every way...
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Sort of true, but mostly not. With a proper insulated house, a single one is good enough for english climate in a reasonably sized house. The "defrost mode" is not tied to a specific temperature per se and they work fine at well below freezing temperatures. They are a very good solution compared to direct electric heating, no doubt.
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@MarkJones-ji8fd Just a heads up, your comment is hidden except for in my notification field, probably because of some profanity used. Anyway, I dont really categorically dispute anything you have written, but I want to point out that air to air heat pumps are indeed a somewhat cheap and much more efficient substitute for direct electric heating. If you got a great gas system in place, it would be advisable to keep it.
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@juliantheapostate8295 I gave all the necessary qualifiers in my post. Sorry that using the correct definition of words offends you so.
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@fireblade1329 Depends on what your alternatives are. Compared to direct electric, they are very good, cost wise. Compared to relatively cheap gas systems, not so much. This also explains their popularty or lack of: If you got cheap gas, stick with it. If you read my previous posts again, I really did write all this already, wont you agree? Just setting some misconceptions straight, thats all, I got no dog in this race. If you only got electricity, like many countries do, they are a natural alternative to direct electric heating. In scandinavia, where I hail from, gas heating is more or less unknown. And why wouldnt it be, electric is much simpler... but it is very dependent on cheap electricity, or you will be bankrupt, which brings us to the current day, where this is now the case.
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Heat pumps are fine for what they are, its all there in the spec sheet. What they cant do is provide an easy 50kw of heating, if thats what you need. I live in a colder climate than everyone else that has commented here, and heat pumps works fine for me, beucause my house is insulated sufficiently. Its an alternative to electric heating, not anything else really.
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@fireblade1329 As I said, from an energy utilization standpoint, the heat pump is unequalled compared to pretty much anything, really. Thats all I said. There is no debate of the physics of that wording. As I also said, the cost effectiveness is quite another factor, very much so. You can trust me even more when it comes to this, I work in the field, and used to teach physics for a living.
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@andrewsparks4112 If you got pretty good insulation, colder temps are no problem. 20F outside temps is A-ok in that case.
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@andrewsparks4112 Yes its certainly not like new mexico most of the time. Long story short, the work great in english climate, but perhaps not in many english houses, for reasons of lacking space, layout and a bit lacking in insulation. But compared to direct electric heating, they offer great benefits if its possible to mount them.
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@remaincalm2 Heat pumps generally just havent got the max output power of a gas system. Not even close. They are a good fit to replace direct electric heating in relatively well insulated houses. Big gains to be had there. Instead of "cheap" gas? Not really.
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@Spiritof48 Not a temperature specific thing really. They defrost themselves and carry on, though the defrosting cycles get more frequent as it gets colder outside.
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Yes, reading the spec sheet carefully is essential... air source heat pumps are a great replacement for direct electric heating and for heating the inside air. Thats their strength. High output power, not so much.
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@juliantheapostate8295 I guess that could be argued, but that seems a bit of a sidenote, doesnt it? Direct electric heating on the other hand, does have some real world relevancy to the current situation, does it not? Certainly european-wide, which is what the power grid is currently, it would seem so.
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@porridgeandprunes Yes and no. They gradually get less efficient the lower the outside temperature is, but there isnt anything special about 5 degree C, its a sliding scale all the way. A reasonably modern pump of good quality will give over 300٪ efficiency at 5 degrees, and still be well above 200% at 5 below zero degrees. So if you have a good pump, no need to turn it off, at least not compared to pure electric heating.
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@senianns9522 Just setting the record straight. All I have written is 100 percent true. I would have thought most people in this audience could appreciate "more facts and less feelings" when being informed about subjects they perhaps arent so well versed in, compared to what you get from many other places. Hopefully the merit of that mindset will be clear some day to you as well.
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@senianns9522 Just clarifying for you, in case you had any doubt of my stance. I take it you couldnt find any issue with the facts as I stated them, since you are just posting non sequiturs. Do as you please, but as I said, I would expect better from one watching these videos.
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@williamromine5715 No, of course I am not suggesting that. He could of course have access to other, more cost effective ways to heat his house, when the efficiency of the pump drops. That is why I simply corrected the single statement he gave that was incorrect (the 5 c limit). Thats all. There are also many reasons why his pump can behave in the way that he sees, such as for example: Its an (very) older model. Its a too cheap (chinese) model. It might have something wrong with its electronics. It might have leaked gas over the years. etc etc. A fully functional pump of good quality made in the last 10-15 years will have the specs I stated in my previous post, or better. Make of that info what you will, I would suggest doing the calculations whats more desirable and cheap for yourself compared to the alternatives you have access to.
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@williamromine5715 I have written it already but: As a replacement for pure electric heating, they are very good indeed, and as good as never worse than said pure electric heating, in any climate. But alternatives can be more cost effective. I am sure they could have been very much "all the rage", but just as likely that was another marketing campaign that didnt really pan out. Just as everything else. Make your own research for whats best for you. Cheers.
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@tetrabromobisphenol This is true, but a good quality modern air to air heat pump has a pretty low up front cost (less than 2000 installed) and make a tremendous saving compared to direct electric. Compared to other sources, especially when electric power is so expensive currently, any heat pump is more questionable from a cost perspective.
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Heat pumps are fine for what they are, its all there in the spec sheet. Modern ones are about 200% efficient down to temperatures below zero C, and easily at that. What they cant do is provide an easy 50kw of heating, if thats what you need. They are for replacing direct electric heating mostly.
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@andrewsparks4112 Pardon, I dont get what you mean? What "over there" and in what context? I wrote the lower temperature range where they work fine (with some qualifiers) in my post...
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@schrodingerscat1863 Depends on your outlook, average heat pump duty cycle is well above 200%, putting it on par or better than gas in your example. But they arent made for generating very large amounts of heating.
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@juliantheapostate8295 indeed it is. I would even say terrible. This energy crisis have been handled incredibly bad from a political standpoint in just about every western european nation, not just the uk.
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@schrodingerscat1863 Well, I couldnt agree more. Just a sidenote, the best efficiencies can go above 500% these days, but that is in very ideal circumstances, and not really relevant to when you really need the heating the most, i.e. when its very cold outside. So you are quite right. I was speaking stricty from a thermal efficiency standpoint. Economics, if you got relatively cheap gas, is quite another thing altogether. Keep the gas system, if you can.
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@schrodingerscat1863 That is of course possible, though I did get my figures from a state funded, purportedly manufacturer independent testing organization. I am inclined to believe they are correct, but, as I said, in a very in a very idealised situation (i.e less than 20% duty cycle, 15 degrees C outside), which is hardly relevant in the real world.
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@sambrooks7862 An air to air pump of good quality can be installed for less than 2000 quid, and saves about 3-4 times the power in average compared to direct electric heating, which pays for itself in just months with todays electricity prices. As I said, if you have a cheaper alternative availible, go for that. Its for radiators powered by electricity its a good alternative.
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@marccas10 I know, thats why I wrote what I did.
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@sambrooks7862 A heat pump lower the running bills compared to pure electric heating. You can rest assured of that, because its a physics in its purest form. Now, if its cheaper than other forms of heating is far from certain. I am purely talking about comparison to electric heating, as I have said before. Also, a salesmans job is to generate maximum profit for his company, not help customers make the best and most cost effective choices for them, contrary to what some people think. So yes, thdy very well could have been "misold" Compare it to expensive watches (Rolex et al). Most of the younger generation dont have a clue that they are in fact magnitudes worse at telling the time accurately than a 10 quid casio. And their markering surely isnt going to tell you.
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@551moley You are correct, high moisture is a problem. I run mine down to -25 and more, not a problem. But I am in scandinavia, yes. Compared to pure electric, its still a benefit just about everywhere though, I am quite certain. Doesnt take much to beat pure electric heating...
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@sambrooks7862 Heat pumps are great for one specific job: replace electric heating. For anything else; Caveat emptor. Same goes for Teslas and EVs in general. All I ask is some nuance in the discussion and comparing the right thing, apples to apples. People buy the wrong thing for their needs because of a fad, what else is new. Its a story as old as time itself. Do your own (diligent) research, never follow fads, and take everything with a pinch (or bucket) of salt in everything in life, and you already better off than the vast majority of people. Cheers. Sidenote about expensive mechanical watches (Rolex, Omega, Patek phillipe etc): They arent bad at telling time because of shoddy quality. They are bad because of them using 19th century technology. Technology which was made hilariously obsolete the day Quartz clocks debuted. Today, they are bought mostly as a form of jewellery. Horses for courses...
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