(The Center Square) — New England states are getting hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to “supercharge” efforts to get homeowners to ditch natural gas or oil heating systems and install electric heat pumps.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $450 million to Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island to accelerate a transition to heat pump technology in residential single-family homes and multifamily buildings across the region.
The program's funding comes from the EPA's $4.3 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, which is part of the larger Inflation Reduction Act.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the states receiving funding have pitched plans to pursue "sustainable agriculture, deploy clean industrial technologies, cut emissions and energy costs in homes and commercial buildings, and provide cost- and energy-efficient heating and cooling to communities, creating economic and workforce development opportunities."
Combined, the proposed projects will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050, roughly the emissions from 5 million average homes’ energy use each year for over 25 years, the EPA said.
In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills said the state expects to get up to $72 million in funding, which will support the installation of heat pumps for home heating and cooling and heat pump hot water heaters.
"Maine's nation-leading transition to heat pumps is creating good-paying jobs, curbing our reliance on expensive and harmful fossil fuels, and cutting costs for Maine families," the Democrat said.
Efficiency Maine, overseeing the state's program, estimates it will cost $42 million to convert about 7,750 homes from fossil fuels to heat pumps.
Rhode Island expects to receive approximately $35-40 million through this program, which state leaders say will help property owners leverage federal support to upgrade their homes and businesses.
"Transitioning to energy-efficient appliances like heat pumps is a smart move that can lower energy bills and save Rhode Islanders money during hot summers and cold winters alike," said Rep. Seth Magaziner, a Rhode Island Democrat. "I’m glad that this federal funding will ultimately put more money in the pockets of working people in RI and across the country."
The New England Heat Pump Accelerator is aimed at helping low- and moderate-income residents afford to switch to heat pumps. Under the program, at least 40% of the grant money must be used in "disadvantaged" communities. The program calls for having heat pumps make up 65% of residential heating, cooling, and water heating sales in participating states by 2030.
Connecticut and Massachusetts will get about $100 million each from the program, according to the federal agency.
"Through the Accelerator, we'll be able to deliver affordable and cutting-edge heating and cooling technologies to families and businesses across New England," Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
Geothermal heat pumps use underground wells and pumps installed inside a building to pull the earth's heat out of the ground to warm buildings in winter or to send heat from buildings into the ground in the summer. But the systems don't come cheap. The Department of Energy estimates homeowners must pay $10,000-30,000 to install one.
The states plan to reach those benchmarks by partnering with manufacturers, distributors, and installers to increase the availability of heat pumps while lowering equipment and installation costs for consumers.
Buildings in New England account for about 35% of the region’s annual emissions, making them the second-biggest source of greenhouse gas pollution after the transportation sector, the EPA said.
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