A shame, really, because they're so nice. And in the US you can even DIY the install! (It cost twice as much to get one in Ireland because I needed an F Gas certified tech).
Is aircon rare on the west coast? I recall basically everywhere having it when I grew up in Sacramento. But I do remember it being less common in San Diego...
Sacramento is not “on the coast”, more of Central Valley, so it does get hot.
Where I live in the “Peninsula” part of Bay Area, we may “want” rather than need A/C maybe 1 week a year. My heating is provided by a 15 year old forced air gas furnace, but I’m in no hurry to install a heatpump because of our ridiculous electrical costs - thanks PG&E.
Our current rates seem to already average at $.5/kwh, probably 5 times more than the rest of the country.
I would wager that adoption of heatpumps is related to cost of electricity vs gas
Nomenclature but I generally think of the west coast on the national scale, but you're correct. I mean, downtown LA is definitely the west coast but it can be much much hotter than Santa Monica, 15 miles away.
But you're right that expensive electricity kills the value proposition.
Is aircon rare on the west coast? I recall basically everywhere having it when I grew up in Sacramento. But I do remember it being less common in San Diego...