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GrilledSpamSteaks t1_j72i1lz wrote

Heat pump work regardless of the outside temp. When the temp gets below the rating, it doesn’t stop working, it just becomes more expensive than other electric heaters to operate. Would you need a backup heat source? No more than you’d need a backup water heater. Would it be cheaper to have a wood stove with heat pumps as a secondary system? It has been so far for us.

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SomeConstructionGuy t1_j72usj6 wrote

This is not accurate. Most units auto shutdown at some temp below zero to avoid damaging the compressor. The few units that will not do this generally have resistive backup to help keep the low side pressures within an acceptable range.

The shutdown temps range from -5 to -30f depending on make, model and refrigerant. Most are in the -15 to -25 range. Fortunately we’re not at those temps until tomorrow morning for a few hours.

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Aclef t1_j7327np wrote

Piggybacking off this. At lower Temps units struggle to pull heat from the air and thus become less efficient and less effective. There are Temps so cold that your heat pump cannot provide necessary heat to the room.

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