A heat pump 'nudge unit' - The Reengineer Monitor #7
Free energy retrofits, a solar backlash, and more!
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great festive break and are ready to reengineer in 2025… Let’s start with a rundown of interesting stories and research you might have missed over the last two weeks.
Heating and cooling
The US Department of Defense has awarded contracts to three companies working on energy efficient heating and cooling systems, which ought to help get this tech installed on military bases. One of the firms involved is Blue Frontier, who I wrote about for Wired in 2024.
Is there a better name for a heat pump than “heat pump?” A moniker that would communicate what they do more clearly? That’s the theme of this thought-provoking discussion over at the Heat Pumped newsletter.
Perhaps refreshed terminology will be part of the UK’s initiative to combat myths and misconceptions about heat pumps. The government has just hired experts from a “nudge unit” (people who specialise in inducing behavioural change through subtle measures or “nudges”) in an effort to help the public understand heat pumps better.
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