Nine states are teaming up to accelerate adoption of this climate-friendly device.

Death is coming for the old-school gas furnace—and its killer is the humble heat pump. They’re already outselling gas furnaces in the US, and now a coalition of states has signed an agreement to supercharge the gas-to-electric transition by making it as cheap and easy as possible for their residents to switch.

Nine states have signed a memorandum of understanding that says that heat pumps should make up at least 65 percent of residential heating, air conditioning, and water-heating shipments by 2030. (“Shipments” here means systems manufactured, a proxy for how many are actually sold.) By 2040, these states—California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island—are aiming for 90 percent of those shipments to be heat pumps.

“It’s a really strong signal from states that they’re committed to accelerating this transition to zero-emissions residential buildings,” says Emily Levin, senior policy adviser at the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), an association of air-quality agencies that facilitated the agreement. The states will collaborate, for instance, in pursuing federal funding, developing standards for the rollout of heat pumps, and laying out an overarching plan “with priority actions to support widespread electrification of residential buildings.”

  • assplode
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    3010 months ago

    We love our heat pump!

    We did a DIY install a few years ago. Cost about $4500 in total for a Bosch 18k BTU unit and everything needed to install it.

    We got $900 back from the state (WA USA) and $2000 back from the feds. That brought our total out of pocket down to $1600.

    We had electric resistive heat and no AC previously. Our heating bill went down by $50/month in the winter. It added maybe $10/month in the summer for air conditioning.

    For our area, with mild winters and low electricity costs, it’s fucking amazing.

    • @TwentySeven
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      1010 months ago

      It added maybe $10/month in the summer for air conditioning.

      I live in Alabama, and I found that amusing

    • @reagansrottencorpse
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      410 months ago

      How handy would you say you are? I’m wondering if I could manage to install one. Our heater is very old and hanging on by a thread.

      • @june
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        110 months ago

        Mini-splits aren’t terribly difficult if you’re handy. Most challenging parts are cutting through your walls and the charged lines (many models come pre-charged but are usually the lower quality models… the good ones are harder to find as a consumer and need to be charged by someone with the right tools).

        I’m planning to install mini-splits in my house as soon as I can afford it.