Connecticut households are no strangers to the sting of high utility bills — especially the 45% of households who rely on heating oil to keep warm in the winter. This fuel is as expensive as it is polluting. It’s common for households to spend upwards of $1,800 per winter just to keep their homes heated.
But there’s a better way. This legislative session, tucked into Connecticut’s omnibus climate bill (HB 5004) is a smart solution to lower energy bills for households while cutting lung-damaging pollution. Lawmakers are proposing to set a target for installing energy-saving electric heat pumps — technologies that provide state-of-the-art heating and cooling in a single unit.
Heat pumps are already a hit in our neighbor to the north. In 2019, Maine set an ambitious goal to install 100,000 heat pumps by 2025. But the heating machines were so popular that the state blew past that target years early. Now, Maine has doubled down with plans for another 175,000 installations by 2027.
It’s no surprise that as Connecticut puts forth a solution to liberate residents from pricey, polluting heating oil, the oil dealers have come out swinging. They’re spreading fear through opinion pieces questioning if our electricity grid can withstand a transition to heat pumps. Of course they want to keep us hooked on fossil fuels — those high energy bills pad their profits.
But fear not, Connecticut can absolutely generate enough electricity to meet our heating needs with clean technologies like heat pumps. And the earlier we set ambitious installation targets, the smoother our path to lower energy bills and healthier homes will be.
Heat pumps are the top-selling heating technology across the country for good reason: they can lower bills for most households, provide heating and cooling in one efficient unit, and drastically cut pollution.
In Connecticut, homes with heating oil and propane furnaces or boilers can save up to 35% on their utility bills by making the switch to an air-source heat pump. Heat pumps also lower cooling bills compared to traditional A/C units: the average electric heat pumps installed in the Northeast use a remarkable 29% less electricity than A/C to provide the same level of comfort.
But the financial benefits are just the start. Heat pumps are also critical for meeting Connecticut’s climate and air quality goals. Burning fossil fuels for heating accounts for a whopping 30% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, fueling more extreme weather events like flooding and heat waves.
Burning dirty heating fuels also severely impacts Connecticut’s air quality. Twenty-three percent of the state’s smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution comes from burning gas, oil, and propane for residential and commercial heating — eight times more than from all our power plants combined. This excessive pollution is a key reason why Connecticut fails year after year to meet federal air quality standards that protect health.
Setting a target for heat pump installation is a commonsense step to move the needle towards a healthier and more affordable future for home heating. Now is a great time to move forward, as state and federal incentives are available that can dramatically lower the upfront cost. Energize Connecticut’s rebates, for example, can cover up to $15,000 for residential heat pump installations for low-income households.
It’s time for Connecticut to lead the heat pump revolution. By enshrining ambitious installation targets in this year’s climate bill, we can slash energy bills, clear our air, and build resilience against worsening climate impacts. The sooner we pivot from oil and gas to efficient electric heating, the better for our wallets, our health, and our future.
Stephen Lewis of South Windsor is Chair of Sierra Club Connecticut Legislative Committee.