this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2026
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Why does no one seem to use peltier elements to heat small greenhouses? (feddit.org)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by viertesauge@feddit.org to c/gardening@lemmy.world
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Genuine question. When I look up options for heating greenhouses its either propane, kerosene or electricity. So if you dont want to use fossil energy for any reason, why not use peltier elements which would boil down to resistive heating and moving heat from the outside to the inside?

Is it because they dont last in the weather? Or because they require a DC source? (couldnt you simply move the PSU inside the greenhouse and use any conversion losses as additional heating?) Or maybe its because you would have to possibly cut a hole in your greenhouse walls so that the peltiers cold side is actually on the outside?

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[–] gastroglizzy@piefed.social 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Peltier elements suck at heating and cooling.

The problem is efficiency. Of all methods of heating and cooling, Peltier elements are the least efficient at both. The main benefits to Peltier elements are they're very compact, very simple, and very cheap. In some applications, these benefits are enough to warrant the trade in efficiency. In a greenhouse, these benefits are either not very helpful or completely invalid.

Your money and energy are more efficiently invested in other methods.

For a truly comprehensive explanation from someone much more knowledgeable than I am, refer to the Technology Connections video on the topic.