Heat Pumps: Good for the planet. Good for your wallet | Opinion

If you heat your home with natural gas, it’s time you learned that heat pumps can be good for both your pocketbook and the planet.

What are they? They’re essentially air conditioners that can also run in reverse. So, they can both cool or heat your home.

An air compressor heats or cools a liquid refrigerant that is pumped into your home in tubes that run to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger (also called air handler) transfers the heat to air that is blown through your home.

In large homes, ducts distribute the air from the air handler to each room. In smaller homes, ductless systems blow the air in the largest room, with supplemental electric heaters in rooms far from the air handler.

For renters, portable heat pumps are also available.

Heat pumps are super efficient: they use about three times less electricity than electric furnaces or baseboard heaters.

Since electricity costs only 8 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) for homes in the Tri-Cities, heating homes with heat pumps costs just 60% of the cost with natural gas furnaces, according to remodelingcalculator.org.

You’ve likely heard that heat pumps don’t work in the cold. That used to be true, but not anymore.

Newer designs can be more than 100% efficient at temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. In Maine, one of the coldest states in the U.S., more than 100,000 heat pumps have been installed over the last five years.

Heat pumps generally cost thousands of dollars more than furnaces, but most cost no more than combinations of furnaces and air conditioners, which together serve the same heating and cooling function.

Variable speed heat pumps capable of heating to well below 0 degrees cost thousands more. However, a federal tax credit of $2,000, a state rebate of up to $8,000 for households with annual incomes less than 150% of the median state income ($85,000 in 2024), and a $1000 local utility rebate for heat pumps can make up the difference. See the savings calculator at rewiringamerica.org. State rebates will be available later this year.

Even if the upfront cost of a heat pump is higher than a furnace, the lower cost of heating with a heat pump can make up the difference. For example, if a heat pump costs $5,000 more than a furnace after tax credits and rebates but saves $500 per year on heating, it will pay for itself in 10 years.

So, overall, heat pumps are the cheaper option for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. And, since the energy that powers them is almost completely carbon free in our region, they are also better for the climate.

So, if your gas furnace fails, replace it with a heat pump. If you have air conditioning, your heat pump will replace your old AC unit too.

If your AC unit fails, replace it and your heating system with a heat pump. If your heating system consists of baseboard heaters or an electric furnace, you’ll cut your heating costs by a factor of three. If it’s a gas furnace, your heating costs will be cut by 40%.

If both your gas furnace and AC are working, it can still pay to replace them with a heat pump if they’re old and therefore inefficient. For a heat pump that saves you $700 per year on heating but costs $7,000 after tax credits and rebates, the payback will take 10 years.

Regardless, it’s prudent to prepare for the day when you must replace your heating system. Do your research. Get estimates from HVAC specialists.

Compare your options. Variable speed units are slightly more efficient at heating than single speed units but are significantly more efficient at cooling; their much higher cost is only justified if you anticipate extremely cold or hot conditions.

Your HVAC specialist should be aware of the tax credits and rebates. If not, seek a specialist who is.

Retired climate scientist Steve Ghan leads the Tri-Cities Washington Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby.