This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Thursday, 23 November 2023
Norway Brought Heat Pumps Out For the Cold
Heat pumps are currently the 'greenest' way of heating European homes. Norway has a population of circa 5m folk and gets pretty cold in the winter. An extraordinary 66% of its households have currently installed heat pumps. Most home owners made the conversion from fossil-fuelled heating, purely because heat pumps are cheaper (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/23/norway-heat-pumps-cold-heating). The 1973 oil crisis, led to the Norwegian government to impose carbon taxes, making fossil fuels the most expensive form of home heating. This situation has been subsequently maintained. Heat pumps are easy to manufacture but a trained workforce is needed for home installation. A trained workforce (well-paid jobs) was provided for the task. It seems that Norway has achieved an outcome, giving them resilience from most fossil fuel price hikes. Weirdly, of course, it also means that more of their North Sea oil and gas production, can be sold to less enlightened folk in cold and draughty parts of the continent.
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