[slashdev]

I questioned if the gain from the heat pump really exceed the losses from generation and transmission.

It seems CC plants are 45-57% efficient, so let’s go with 50%. A gas furnace is from 80% to 95% depending how old it is.

The heat pump would need to be roughly 2x efficiency to break even. They can be 3x or higher (since they move heat around rather than generating it.) Your statement surprisingly checks out.

So obviously it makes zero sense to use electricity to create methane to then burn for heat. Reality is messy though, sometimes we do things inefficiently because there are other constraints. Being unable to afford to convert to a heat pump system, or being in a climate where it won’t work well.

[pfdietz]

The only way, from an efficiency point of view, that it would make sense to burn gas in a home for heating is with a gas-fired heat pump (or home cogeneration driving an electric heat pump, and also using the waste heat). But these have not been installed much, probably because of cost.

The waste heat from the combined cycle plant could also be used for district heating.

Highest efficiency CC plants are like 62% efficient (but that's on a LHV basis, which ignores latent heat of water of combustion.)