Heat Pumps Crucial for Home Electrification: Will Americans Embrace Shift?

AFP/APP

Washington: On a sweltering summer day in southeast Washington, contractors are busy installing a heat pump in a townhouse, a key element of the United States’ multi-billion-dollar initiative to advance home electrification.

Though less glamorous than electric cars and more obscure than solar panels, heat pumps are seen as a vital tool in the drive towards more climate-friendly living.

These energy-efficient systems serve as both heaters and air conditioners, with heat pump hot water heaters also available. Despite their widespread use in Asia and Europe, heat pumps have seen slow adoption in the U.S., a trend the White House aims to change through substantial spending and subsidies.

Su Balasubramanian, a Washington resident, admitted she was unfamiliar with heat pumps despite her environmental consciousness. In 2023, residences contributed approximately 18 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions in the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Reducing these emissions is a key goal of increasing the use of less gas and more electrification.

To encourage heat pump adoption, the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s 2022 landmark climate legislation, offers up to $2,000 in tax credits for installing heat pumps. Additional rebates are available through the IRA for low- and middle-income households, complemented by state-specific incentives.

Balasubramanian qualified for Washington’s Affordable Home Electrification program, which covered the cost of a heat pump air source, a heat pump hot water heater, an induction stove, and an electrical panel upgrade totaling about $27,000. She noted that without this support, she “definitely would not” have been able to afford the project.

Advocates suggest a gradual approach to electrification, recommending that homeowners replace individual appliances as they break rather than tackling entire home upgrades at once, which can be financially daunting.

An April report in the scientific journal Joule found that heat pump air systems would be cost-effective without subsidies for 59 percent of U.S. households.

Rebecca Foster, CEO of the energy-focused nonprofit VEIC, observed that electrification is gaining traction among early adopters motivated by climate concerns but noted the need for increased awareness.

In Balasubramanian’s program, participants are often seniors on fixed incomes, according to Kalen Roach, marketing and communications manager for the DC Sustainable Energy Utility program. Roach acknowledged that convincing some customers remains a challenge.

Full adoption of heat pump air systems in the US could reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by five to nine percent, according to the April Joule report.