From: "Clark W. Griswold, Jr." 
Newsgroups: misc.rural sci.energy misc.consumers.house alt.home.repair misc.consumers.frugal-living
Subject: Re: Home Heating Options for Rural Midwest Residents?
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 07:38:41 -0600

Duane Bozarth  wrote:

>You're mixing metaphors here--while electric  heat may have
>been expensive compared to others, the heat pump doesn't use the
>electricity as the heat source.  

Heat pumps work by using electrical compressors, which use a significant amount
of electricity. When a heat pump rolls over to using resistive heating, it uses
even more electricity.

>Plus, those comparative figures need to
>be updated given the cost of oil and gas at current prices.  So far,
>electricity hasn't been hit as hard. 

You have to look at energy costs over the life of the heat pump (20+ years), not
just a few months.