Install a Heat Pump for Heating and AC

Category

Home Energy

Impact

Cost

$$$

Upgrading your home’s heating with a heat pump is one of the most effective ways to reduce your overall carbon footprint and make your home more comfortable. An ideal time to consider a heat pump is when you need to replace your existing heating or cooling system or when you want to add air conditioning, because heat pumps provide cooling as well as heating.  

While traditional heating systems burn fuel to create heat, a heat pump instead works by “pumping” heat into or out of a home.  Heat pumps can operate down to below 0℉ outdoor temperatures, and though they require electricity to operate, they typically use 2 to 4 times less energy than conventional electric or fossil-fueled heating systems.  A heat pump can supplement your existing heating system or completely replace it. Heat pumps can save a lot of money over time if your home is currently heated with oil, propane, or electric baseboards. 

Steps to Take

Converting to heat pump heating and cooling can be complicated and time consuming—if you do it on your own. But you don’t have to. CMLP can help you prepare your home, choose the right equipment, find installers, and secure available incentives—all at no cost to you.

 

STEP 1:

Schedule a free energy assessment, either with Mass Save if you currently heat with gas, or with CMLP if you heat with anything else. An energy efficiency expert will visit your home and identify ways to minimize your heating and cooling costs—for example, by adding insulation and sealing cracks. This is called weatherizing. It saves money no matter how you heat and cool, but particularly if you install a heat pump. And the generous rebates available for weatherizing save more money still.

 

STEP 2:

Go here for basic information about air-source heat pumps, then here for an overview of the rebates available from CMLP and Mass Save.

 

STEP 3:

Go here to set up an introductory call with a Concord heating and cooling coach. Trained, experienced and unaffiliated with any business, the coaches have helped almost 1,000 Concordians figure out if heat pumps are right for them, and how to proceed if they are. They will stay with you through the whole process of weatherizing, comparing installers’ quotes, choosing the right equipment, nailing down the incentives, and getting the most out of your system once it’s in place.

Deep Dive

Some details

Two basic types of heat pumps are available:

  1. Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) exchange heat with the air outside your house and advanced models are now efficient down to sub-zero outdoor temperatures. ASHPs for homes that already have ducting are called central heat pumps, while so-called ductless “mini-splits” are suited to homes that don’t have existing ducting. All ASHPs provide energy-efficient heating and cooling for your home, using a fraction of the energy traditional electric or fossil-fuel boilers or furnaces. The Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP.org) has a lot of information on ASHPs including an Air-Source Heat Pump Buyers Guide.
  2. Ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) can provide highly efficient heating, cooling, and water heating by utilizing the nearly constant temperature underground to heat or cool your home. GSHPs are typically the most efficient type of heat pump, but installation is more complex and the initial cost is somewhat higher than ASHPs.

For both types of systems, Concord homes qualify for rebates from CMLP and additional incentives from the New England Heat Pump Accelerator.

Testimonials

We installed a Carrier Infinity series heat pump about 4 years ago. It works seamlessly with our natural gas heat, and the air conditioning in…
Our central heat pump works great!
Submitted by: Brad Hubbard-Nelson
Our Carrier GreenSpeed central air and heat pump system heats and cools the main living space in our house. We now use oil for hot…
Heat pump and central air cut my oil deliveries by more than half and reduces carbon
Submitted by: Gordon Brockway
Hi All, Like me, many of you have had air source heat pumps installed (we love our mini split!). One of our wall units was…
Cleaning Dirty/Moldy Heat Pumps
Submitted by: Ken Hausman
Two of our air conditioning zones went out this summer.  We decided to replace them with heat pumps. We couldn't be happier. In addition to…
A win/win/win Solution to our heating and cooling needs
Submitted by: Russ Eisenstat
My oil heated home has four heating zones. A few years ago, Muirfield Mechanics installed an Air Source Heat Pump in the central living space…
Lots of Benefits to Heat Pumps
Submitted by: Gilda Gussin

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