A heat pump is a heating system that has an efficiency of about 150 %, that is, for every joule (J) the electrical energy consumed, 1.5 J of heat is produced. Yet according to the law from energy conservation, the energy efficiency of a device should never come into over 100%, since energy cannot be created or destroyed. So there is thermal energy that is transferred from the outside to the inside of the house. Explain why this phenomenon remains possible, even under 0 °C.

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
5th Edition
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Chapter18: Heat Engines, Entropy, And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics
Section18.4: Heat Pumps And Refrigerators
Problem 18.3QQ
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A heat pump is a heating system that has an efficiency of about 150 %, that is,
for every joule (J) the electrical energy consumed, 1.5 J of heat is produced. Yet according to the law from energy conservation, the energy efficiency of a device should never come into over 100%, since energy cannot be created or destroyed. So there is thermal energy that is transferred from the outside to the inside of the house.

Explain why this phenomenon remains possible, even under 0 °C.

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