A strange heatpump. The ice stick
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jebatty
Minister of Fire
You do have a sense of humor to call this cool -- looked at the last page of the pdf brochure on the link. Is the important part the need to place the Ice Stick in a location warm enough to melt the ice? If so, can this really provide heat when outside temperatures are below 0C?
Heat pumps dramatically lose efficiency at some point below freezing. They are designed to carry >50% of the heating load, not all of it. The cut off point is determined by the efficiency of the unit and refrigerant. I have read about some units able to work down to 10 degrees. Ours is a conventional high-efficiency, 2 stage design and works until about 24 degrees. We rarely see these temps for more than a week or two, so it is pretty good for our climate. Balanced with wood burning in the coldest part of winter, it has been a cost effective heating solution for us. In colder climates, if the goal is year round heating, a ground source heat pump is required.
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