Vermont leads New England in per capita heat pump installations with more than 63,000

Vermonters are embracing heat pumps to cool and heat their homes and businesses, with more than 63,000 installed through the end of 2023, according to Efficiency Vermont, the nation's first energy efficiency utility.

Vermonters have installed more heat pumps per capita than any other state in New England, with 97 heat pumps for every 1,000 residents. Maine has installed more than twice as many heat pumps as Vermont overall − 131,000 − but trails Vermont in per capita rate, with 94 heat pumps per 1,000 residents, according to Efficiency Maine.

Massachusetts, on the other hand, with 7 million residents, has fewer than 30,000 heat pumps installed, a per capital rate of only about 4 per 1,000 residents.

Heat pumps are seen as a key factor in combatting climate change. The National Resources Defense Council cited a study in 2022 done by researchers at the University of California Davis that showed a typical U.S. home could cut its heating-related climate pollution by 45-72% by switching to an all-electric heat pump in place of a gas-fired furnace.

11,000 heat pumps installed in 2023 alone in Vermont

Phil Bickel, Efficiency Vermont's heat program manager, said the pace of installations is also picking up in Vermont, with more than 11,000 heat pump installed in 2023 alone. Efficiency Vermont has been running a point-of-sale discount program since 2014, in partnership with Vermont utilities including Green Mountain Power, Burlington Electric Department, Stowe Electric Department, Vermont Electric Cooperative, Washington Electric Co-op and 11 municipal utilities in the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority.

More:How much can you save on energy costs? A new report from Efficiency Vermont tells you.

"More and more people are learning just how effective heat pumps are at keeping their homes warm and comfortable," Bickel said in a statement. "And in most cases, keeping their bills lower than if they were using fossil fuels to heat their homes."

Heat pumps three times more efficient than fossil fuel-based systems

Heat pumps are up to 300% more efficient at heating than systems using fossil fuels, according to Efficiency Vermont, and don't emit greenhouse gases like heating systems using natural gas, oil or propane gas.

"Heat pumps are the not-so-secret weapon to combating climate change in Vermont and beyond − and it's important that Vermonters have the support and guidance they need to figure out if they are the best fit for their homes," Peter Walke, Efficiency Vermont's managing director, said in a statement.

More:Next phase of South Burlington development will be all electric, fossil fuel-free homes

Efficiency Vermont is also running pilot projects for heat pumps that include a window-based heat pump for renters. These units are about the same size as a window air conditioner and can both heat and cool, same as heat pumps installed in homes.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT.