The heat pump in our podcast - that's what was missing! What can the new type of heating system really do and what is nonsense? The heat pump has been the subject of controversy in recent years. This simple heating system has divided the political landscape and is the device that marked the beginning of the end of the traffic light government. But is such political explosiveness for the heat pump really justified? Or is this a lot of hot air about nothing? In today's podcast, the Science Cops establish the facts about the heat pump. The heat pump is often accused of not being efficient enough, far too expensive and not all that good for the climate anyway! Certain politicians clung to it for purely ideological reasons. The uncertainty is not surprising: A device that sucks in cold air from outside and uses it to heat my apartment? That must require a lot of energy! The Science Cops take a close look at this mystery and explain in today's podcast how a heat pump actually works. In this podcast, you will find out whether the heat pump will really save the climate or is a clear case for the Science Cops' prison. Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro 0:06:02 Profiling: What is a heat pump? 0:23:11 Are heat pumps not really good for the climate? 0:30:56 Are heat pumps only worthwhile in new buildings? 0:38:55 Aren't heat pumps much too expensive? 0:56:37 Aren't there plenty of alternatives to heat pumps? 1:09:53 The arrest #heatpump #heatinglaw #germanpodcast #quarks #sciencecops Selected sources (complete: https://www.quarks.de/podcast/science...) Energy efficiency in numbers: developments and trends in Germany 2022 (bmwk.de, 2022) https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/DE/Publ... Heat pump: function & heat sources (bwp.de, 2023) https://www.waermepumpe.de/waermepump... WPsmart in existing buildings: heat pump field test - focus on existing buildings and smart operation (Fraunhofer.de, 2020) https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/pres... Modernizing with heat pumps (bwp.de, 2023) https://www.waermepumpe.de/waermepump... Service life of heat pumps (nibe.eu, 2023) https://www.nibe.eu/ch/de/inspiration... Heating with wood (Federal Environment Agency, 2020) (PDF) https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/... German Energy Wood and Pellet Association (depv.de, 2023) https://www.depv.de/ Gas hybrid heating: heat generation from natural gas and renewable energy (bdew.de, 2020) (PDF) https://www.bdew.de/media/documents/6... Climate influence of the regions (CO2 intensity of available electricity) (electricitymaps.com, 2023) https://app.electricitymaps.com/map/24h Energy efficiency as a door opener for renewable energies in the building sector (ifeu.de, 2023) (PDF) https://www.ifeu.de/fileadmin/uploads... Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (European Commission, 2018) (PDF) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conte... Thermal insulation and heat pumps - why the two belong together: Study commissioned by the Association for Insulation Systems, Plaster and Mortar eV (ifeu.de, 2023) https://www.ifeu.de/fileadmin/uploads... History of the development of the heat pump https://www.stiebel-eltron.ch/de/home...