it is, (although the design is slightly different, you couldn’t just run the motor on an AC backwards).
Heat pumps are better for the environment because it’s (usually) more energy efficient to extract existing heat than create it. Heat-pumps get more heat per unit energy spent than resistive heat (like electric radiators) because they’re not creating the heat, they’re just moving it.
Natural gas still kind of wins out, but that has the issue of constantly needing more natural gas.
The most environmentally friendly play would be, if you were like on a space station or something: Imeaditley stop producing more natrual gas, use up whatevers left in reserves, then install heat pumps. But of course that’s not how things work so we’re transitioning now.
edit: re: AC not being good for the environment. AC isn’t the problem, just the power is. So it’s just seen as a luxury as opposed to necessity, although obviously that’s starting to change.
Small correction, no motor runs backward. You can’t reverse the flow through a compressor, so heat pumps have a reversing valve that slides back and forth to reverse the flow of refrigerant in the system.
Oh fair point. My dumb-ass sitting here going what is he talking about? A motor can run backwards, most pumps and compressors can’t, or at least wont be effective if they do. Unless their something like a peristaltic.
