Short · Home energy
How can a heat pump give more heat than it uses?
A heat pump doesn't make most of its heat. It moves it in from outdoor air, even freezing air. The colder it gets outside, the bigger the lift and the lower the ratio.
Try it yourself
Opens Heat Pump Lab. Change the same thing yourself.
Transcript
How can a heat pump deliver about three times as much heat as the electricity it uses? It doesn't make most of that heat. It moves it. Even freezing air holds heat. A cold fluid soaks it up outside, a compressor squeezes the fluid hotter than your room, and it gives that heat away indoors. The electricity just runs the pump, and even that ends up as heat. Now drag the outdoor temperature down. A bigger lift takes more work, so the ratio falls. Try it yourself at Explainer Tools dot com.