Thousands of goats in California. They are used to clear hard-to-access hillsides of high grasses and brush. And they do an incredible job. Lots of little goat herder companies each with a few hundred goats. They set up a perimeter with a low-level electric fence, release the goats, and a few hours later its all done. They pack the goats up and move on to the next job.
As a former Californian, property size helps keep down mowing too... Our back yard was so small there wasn't enough space to get a push mower (real old school with no motor) going. Ended up using a weed wacker. 😂
The other interesting design feature for the heat pump A/C is it doesn't block the window as much. In situations where those kind of heat pumps would be used, the need for light is usually important too. Melikey!!
with time prices come down, but if life has taught me anything, it's that products don't necessarily get better. have a window AC unit I bought over 30 years ago, and it still works great. I've moved it to multiple homes, it's been stored in various positions, and it's never been recharged. Show me one of those window heatpumps that I'll be able to say that about in 30 years... though I'll be in my 80s, youtube will have gone away decades sooner, and fusion will still only be 10 years away!
Sean context is indeed king. That is really the thing that people struggle with in the modern world. Generalities are easier to get your head around and make the world make more sense however context is the real story.
Already exists... the "EcoFlow Wave 2". It's a decent little portable heat pump but nothing to write home about. Has a lot of little niggling issues that make it less useful than it appears on its face. Still a decent portable heat pump, though. There is also a larger unit from EG4 that runs directly off solar without a battery buffer, but the problem with that one is that excess solar is thrown away.
Matt will agree I'm a broken record 😂 regarding (split system) heat pumps / reverse-cycle air conditioning (and solar) cost comparisons between USA and Aus. Lol
Thanks for the additional info on pricing for the window HVAC units. One example of an economic sector potentially abusing government funding is the durable medical equipment industry catering to seniors with Medicare or Medicaid. There are hundreds of items covered, including hospital beds, blood sugar monitors and test strips, wheelchairs and scooters, walkers and canes, etc. Pricing on these items is fairly high, and the availability of federal government support for these items may tend to inflate prices, which the federal government is attempting to moderate through enhanced competitive bidding and other practices. The pharmaceutical industry is vulnerable to similar criticisms, as is military contract pricing due to minimal competition. There are other examples of the same phenomenon. But in a newly developing market like high-end 110v window heat pumps, I’m less skeptical this is price gouging. I guess we’ll see as the market expands and other brands enter the market.
I wonder if everyone in a city that heats water on an individual apartment level (not district hot water heating) would use heat pumps for their boilers... Would that put a dent in the heat island effect of the city as now, not all the heat extracted from those apartments would be dumped on the streets but instead channeled back into their own boilers. For the same energy price of cooling your home, you heat your water and keep the outside air cooler at the same time, which sounds like a 3 birds 1 stone in favor of the environment.
If they can get to sub-1k, I'd be on board for having both AC + Heat. The new u-shaped systems run between 300-400, so if you double that to 800-1000, I'd be on board. 3K is ridiculous. I got quoted 13k for 3 mini-splits just recently.
You know, If I were a renter in the city, I'd be as obsessed about the hp-ac units as I am with battery powered lawn equipment in the country. And the ability to run quieter is cool.
Mixed flock of goats & sheep which do a great job on the pasture part of our ~5ac. But does all that clear-mowing help our fire insurance prospects in northern CA? Nope. On the ‘interface’ zone, it doesn’t matter what you do unless your whole ‘neighborhood’ does a hardscape only surround and remove all trees (we have redwoods!). This is the blindness of the insurance companies.
17:50 Perfect example: Ford and their EV's! The F-150 "Lightning" is built from the same chassis as the F-150 ICE version, yet many are aghast at its higher cost because as you said, everyone is used to the basic truck, no consideration of what the EV can do the ICE cant (like power all tools at a job site). Even if selling for more, Ford says they are loosing $$$ on them, shows how new products are really hard get traction into a market. On the AC unit, I had briefly mentioned earlier, but dealing with condensation water collection and removal can be a major challenge. Those engineering challenges alone will drive up costs as testing finds flaws that result in redesign and more testing. We had encountered unexpected issues and had resulting scramble for solutions (which were less than ideal).
How much does a quality mini-split of comparable capacity cost? $1500? And that includes baked in profits. I dont buy that shrinking the connections, making a single unit, and making it fold doubles the cost. Even if it were $2,000, i can see it, but not the $3000 or $3400 currentky (and ,per the vid, theae are price estimates,not firm numbers)
Goats dont maintain lawns. You want sheep for that. Goats are good for brush, as the "browse", where sheep graze. Yes, that's an important distinction. 😊
On the pricing discussion, I'm sure they'll start at $3k but it won't be long before all those who are willing to pay that buy them, then there will be all sorts of opportunities for savings. Like offers for $750 savings if you and 10 of your neighbors also buy. "Ideal pricing" in economics is getting people to pay the maximum they are willing to pay for a product. That is why coupons exist.
But they are using already existing tech, and already existing manufacturing. It's just a slighty different form factor, and I mean SLIGHTLY different form factor. Existing variants of this exact equipment currently cost about $1,500 USD, so making a modified version doesn't justify the $3000+ cost.
companies jacking the price up because the government is supplying funds..... Isn't that what is happening in higher education? Not quite the same thing, but.......
