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Heat pump

Enclose the heat pump in a sun house
 
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I understand my heat pump becomes horribly inefficient in very cold weather. Assuming the heat pump is in the sun, I could enclose it in a 'house' made of heavy guage clear plastic or plexiglass so the air it is using has been heated some already. What I am unsure of is the volume of air circulated by the heat pump compared to how quickly the sun house would heat the air. Too small a house would use the warmed air too quickly while too large a house would not heat the air to be any benefit. Do I have something here, or what?
JD420, Jan 21 2004

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       As your pump runs it will rapidly cool the air inside the sunhouse as it takes the heat energy into the dwelling.   

       You seem to be suggesting a plexiglass-and-air solar collector in this case. Maybe better to use an existing solar collector directly.   

       If the sun house is an actual sun house...then it might be quicker to just open the doors to let the warm air into the dwelling directly ;-)
timbeau, Jan 21 2004
  

       Just move it inside the house where it's nice and warm. (kidding)   

       What [timbeau] said. It would "air-condition" the little sun house very quickly. Maybe set the outside part of the unit in a parabolic reflector?
half, Jan 21 2004
  

       [half] solar collector == parabolic reflector.   

       These are used to focus sun's energy on the 'hot' side of the heat pump.
timbeau, Jan 21 2004
  
      
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