{"id":32154,"date":"2023-09-07t15:53:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-07t15:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=32154"},"modified":"2023-09-07t15:56:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07t15:56:09","slug":"heat-pumps-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/heat-pumps-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"heat pumps: are they really more sustainable?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
i recently arrived back to the u.s. after spending a semester studying abroad in dublin, ireland. while i was there, i had the opportunity to participate in a research project under an electrical engineering professor. his overarching research is centered around the life cycle analysis (lca) of different housing archetypes in ireland. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n specifically, it seeks to discover if a heat pump is a more sustainable hvac (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) option than its counterpart, a traditional gas boiler. the irish government has proposed the <\/span>national retrofit plan<\/span><\/a> which is centered around a recommendation for installing 400,000 heat pumps in ireland\u2019s residences. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n heat pumps rely on renewable energy sources, and use geothermal heating techniques to regulate the temperature of buildings. a traditional gas boiler, which is most commonly used in irish homes, derives its energy from natural gases and fossil fuels. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\nwhat are heat pumps?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n