By Paul Bousquet, GECO Board Member
Last fall, Go Electric Colorado was invited to join a pilot program promoting heat pump access to low- and middle-income Denver-area residents. Established through a special purchase agreement initiated by Rewiring America, a leading national building decarbonization nonprofit, we were able to offer significant savings on heat pumps installed by December 31st. Our role was to gather homeowner information, ensure each home’s suitability, and convey heat pump benefits and options. We spoke with 73 homeowners over the course of the 6-week Denver Heat Pump Access program. Rewiring hoped we might reach 50 homes!
We currently know more than a dozen homeowners made the switch from gas to high-efficiency heat pump electric heating and cooling – and we know many more have scheduled installations through our guidance to the Colorado Energy Office’s HEAR rebate program (for installations this spring). More than 95% of homeowners received free, onsite heat pump home assessments and nearly 25% have or are planning to make the switch to clean electric heating within the next few months.
Three coaches plus our technical support manager provided the teamwork for this short, high volume pilot project.
“It was a joy speaking with so many enthusiastic residents about reducing their dependence on methane gas for their home heating (usually 60-80% of a home’s annual gas usage). Each home we helped convert reduces their annual carbon emissions by an average of 6,000 Lbs. That means eliminating nearly 90,000 pounds of CO2 from our local (and global) atmosphere over the life of each heat pump,” said Paul Bousquet, Go Electric’s project lead.
Want to learn more about how the THOUSANDS of dollars of available to qualified homeowners through HEAR, Xcel Energy, and your city or county for clean heating, cooking, and energy efficiency upgrades? Click here to schedule your FREE virtual consultation with one of our expert Go Electric Colorado advisors or to support our work through a tax-deductible donation today.