A Simple Comparison of Heat Pumps & Resistance Heating

A space heater is an exampe of resistance heating.

Resistance heating and heat pumps use electricity to operate their systems. However, it is the method and efficiency with which they use the electricity that separates them. Both resistance heating and heat pumps can be modified to heat an entire home or a single room.

Heating Method

Electric resistance heating uses electricity transferred to metal coils. A fan then blows air over these coils to move the heat into the home. A heat pump employs a flow of refrigerant through a coil, which absorbs heat from the outdoor air and transfers this heat to an indoor coil. Again, a fan blows across the coil, transferring the heat to the home.

Heating Efficiency

According to the website Energy Savers, resistance heating converts 100 percent of electricity to heat, but only 30 percent of the energy from the combustion of oil, gas or coil is transferred to the creation of electricity. Alternatively, a heat pump produces four times more energy than it consumes.

Limitations

Both electric resistance heating and a heat pump perform equally well at cooling in warm climates. However, a heat pump may not perform well at temperatures below freezing. Geothermal heat pumps, which draw their heat from deep in the ground, may overcome this limitation.

References

• Energy Savers: Electric Resistance Heating
• Energy Savers: Heat Pump Systems