Heat Pumps: An alternative to oil heat for the Northeast (RMI)

[Alex Brown]

Heat Pumps An alternative to oil heat for the Northeast: input for planners and policy-makers
Ryan Matley | March 2013
Rocky Mtn Inst - http://www.rmi.org

http://www.rmi.org/PDF_heat_pumps_an_alternative_to_oil_heat_in_the_northeast

Over the long term, heat pumps have reduced exposure to volatile
fossil fuel prices (particularly natural gas), and can be paired
with renewable electricity generation.  Entirely replacing oil
heating with heat pumps can save the region $5.5–6.0 billion in
fuel costs annually.  Paired with a renewable grid, heat pumps
can also put the region on track to meet the 80% greenhouse gas
reduction target that the U.N.  Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) has declared necessary to avoid the most
dramatic impacts of climate change.  A number of barriers
historically stood in the way of heat pumps: high first cost,
lack of awareness, and the difficulty of retrofitting homes and
businesses.  Yet states can take numerous steps to address these
barriers.  In particular, focusing on reducing the upfront cost
will drive the industry toward self-­‐sufficiency and resolve
many of the other barriers.

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