Heat pumps were invented in 1856. The system works as a fridge in reverse. The pumps never became a commercial winner because they are powered by electricity and it was usually cheaper to burn fossil fuels for heating and cooling homes. That’s now changing as the world spends about 15 percent of its energy on heat. Last year, global sales of heat pumps jumped by 30 percent, to nearly $12 billion.
This 19th-century invention to heat homes helps cutting carbon emissions
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