Charlie Kinsella, an installer with Royal River Heat Pumps, checks a hole he drilled in a Cumberland home on October 11. Ben McCanna/Photographer

The move toward installing electric heat pumps for the whole home rather than individual rooms has proven successful so far, with a sharp increase in consumer interest, the agency said quasi-state government that oversees energy efficiency programs.

Efficiency Maine Trust provided more rebates on whole-home heat pumps in three months this summer than in the previous nine months, Executive Director Michael Stoddard said in an Oct. 30 news release. report. The agency issued 1,814 rebates from July to September, compared to 1,805 from October 2023 to June, when its fiscal year ended.

The agency said 563 whole-home heat pump rebates were issued in September, the most in a month since the program moved to whole-home heat pump rebates in September 2023 On average, 201 discounts per month were granted last year; In the first three months of this fiscal year – July, August and September – the monthly average was 604.

Maine Efficiency modified its discount program in September 2023 and increased the subsidy to help make electricity the primary source of home heating and discourage the secondary use of oil or gas, which are fossil fuels that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

“At the time, there was concern about whether customers would find this desirable or whether contractors would remain gainfully employed and retain their workforce,” Stoddard said. “At first we didn’t know how it would work. »

With another monthly report, Efficiency Maine has enough information “to see that things are starting,” he said.

The pumps extract heat from the outside air or underground and transfer it indoors, instead of heating a coil in a furnace. They also cool interiors by extracting heat from the interior and transferring it outdoors or underground.

Maine Public Utilities Commission said heat pump technology is the same, but Efficiency Maine has generally decided to offer incentives only for whole-building installations because it claims it is more cost-effective than heat pumps that supplement other heating systems. Whole-home installations get the most out of heat pumps, according to Efficiency Maine.

Federal and state incentives of up to $10,600 are available. Efficiency Maine offers rebates to low-income households – those eligible for Home Energy Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or MaineCare – for 80% of the cost of a project , up to a lifetime cashback limit of $8,000.

Moderate-income homeowners, meaning those with an adjusted gross income of up to $70,000 for an individual filer or $100,000 for joint filers, are eligible for 60% of the cost of a project, up to ‘to a lifetime cashback limit of $6,000.

A rebate of 40% of the cost of a project, up to a lifetime limit of $4,000, is available to households regardless of income.

A federal tax credit of up to $2,600 is also available.

Thomas Tutor, head of the residential commercial team at ReVision Energy, which installs solar panels and electric heat pumps, said the number of heat pump installations has increased this year compared to 2023, although he doesn’t have numbers. Most projects involve whole-house heat pump installations, he said.

“We are definitely building more domestic heat pump systems,” he said. “The size of the project has increased as more people are encouraged to take on the whole house.”

Tutor warns users about an increase in their electricity bill. But he said they should keep in mind the cost of the fuel — natural gas, oil, propane — that they previously used and are now replacing. “Sometimes people are surprised the first winter,” he said.

Governor Janet Mills has prioritized the installation of heat pumps in Maine to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Efficiency Maine Spent $119.3 million since 2014, thanks to funding from various sources, including part of the federal government. Millions more dollars are expected from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. MaineHousing also benefited from money from Washington to install electric heat pumps.

It’s unclear whether future grants might be reduced after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. He criticized the Biden administration’s policies promoting zero-carbon energy as a “new green scam.”

Stoddard said Efficiency Maine does not have information on how the election will impact market demand for heat pumps. The increase in heat pump demand reported by Efficiency Maine reflects activity in July, August and September.

David Friedman, senior director of federal policy at Rewiring America, which promotes electrification, said it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the Trump administration to claw back ongoing federal money for electric heat pumps. And cutting funding for the projects in the coming months “would certainly not be politically popular,” he said, pressuring Congress to protect the programs.

In the United States, homeowners used $8 billion in tax credits in 2023 for electrification, energy efficiency and other programs, Friedman said.

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