Barriers to Heat Pump Adoption

Installing electric heating pumps and heat pump water heaters (HPWH) at home is one of the most promising strategies for residential building electrification. Low -income and middle -income customers will benefit from the non -energy benefits and efficiency conservation of the heat pump.

However, the preliminary cost of the heat pump is very high, which causes obstacles to the use, especially for customers of ordinary families. This challenges public institutional companies with fair electrification interests. In order to achieve energy fairness and decarburization targets, public institutions need to implement an innovative strategy to reduce the obstacles of customers' use of heat pumps.

In this blog post, we will share some effective strategies. We recommend how to increase the use of heat pumps for low -income and middle -income customers.

How to solve obstacles by incentives, targeted information transmission, partnerships, etc.

There are several reasons for the benefits of the heat pump customer to obtain the heat pump, including:

1. Preliminary cost

2. Low cognitive degree

3. Demolition incentive

4. Housing quality

Public institutional companies can solve these obstacles through incentives and targeted information transmission, training and partnerships. The following strategies help reduce the obstacles of heat pump customers and other customers. However, according to your area, these strategies alone may not make the heat pump cost -effective for customers. The energy and cost level saved by the installation of heat pump technology will vary from climate, region, electricity price and natural gas prices.

1. Obstacles: high cost in the early stage, low elastic income

Reforming new HPWH usually requires at least $ 2,000. According to the US Energy Conservation Economic Commission Aceee report to build a decarbon solution (PDF) for the affordable housing department, the cost of heat pump transformation may be between $ 4,000 and $ 10,000. This does not include the potential cost of family climate change and electrical system upgrades. Some families need these basic upgrades to support the heat pump system. Customers who have little income or have no flexible income will not be able to afford these energy upgrades.

Customers need higher incentives to upgrade energy.

Strategy: Provide higher incentives and reduce obstacles to participation

Customers need higher incentives to upgrade energy.

Union Edison. United Edison's steering electric heating and cooling plan provides incentives for customers who are converted from petroleum or propane to customers who meet income conditions. They can receive heat pumps, HPWH and family weathering. Con Edison allows customers to meet the revenue qualification requirements in multiple ways, so that they can easily participate:

Meet the income requirements of the EMPOWER New York program

Auxiliary family performance income guidelines that meet Energy Star and complete the revenue screening application (PDF) of the New York State Energy Research and Development Bureau

Swinding. The public institutional company adds home electrification measures in its existing energy assistance programs for low -income customers. The public business company is looking for electrification opportunities, and at the same time conduct energy audit or weathering services in the home of low -income customers. SMUD then installs electrification measures for customers participating in the energy assistance plan. If necessary, the utility will upgrade the customer's panel to adapt to new measures.

According to the ACEEE report "Electrification of Architecture: Plan and Best Practice" (PDF), more than 80% of SMUD plan participants have replaced fuel. The cost of these electrification projects is usually $ 10,000 to 15,000.

2. Obstacles: Insufficient understanding of the heat pump

Most customers are not familiar with heat pumps and their advantages. Contractors and distributors need training and incentives in order to understand, store, install, and provide customers with suggestions on the technology.

Strategy: Raise consumer awareness

Consumers are unwilling to believe in technology they don't know. They will not look for their unfamiliar technologies. Sharing information with consumers related to the technology and its advantages is a key step to improve the adoption rate.

Sharing information with consumers related to the technology and its advantages is a key step to improve the adoption rate.

First, we must understand the motivation and obstacles of customers to buy heat pump technology. According to the E -SOURCE residential electrification survey, cost is the primary reason for low -income customers to buy heat pump technology. Based on these data, your message transmission should focus on the burden and cost savings of the heat pump.

About 43% of low -income interviewees said they are most concerned about buying and maintaining HPWH costs. 44% expressed the same view of the heat pump. The interviewees also said that they were satisfied with their current system and did not want to deal with the trouble of changing. Compared with their current thermal water system, fewer interviewees have expressed their obstacles to their current space heating systems.

3. Obstacles: Electrifying the electrification of tenants and many households

If the tenant is a person who pays water and electricity, the owner may not have the motivation to improve energy efficiency in the rental unit. Or they may not be willing to improve the energy improvement that tenants cannot see. Practitioners may not be interested in investment energy efficiency because they may move before they see investment returns. This split incentive is an obstacle to the heat pump customers living in the rental house.

Strategy: Attract the tenant and provide a reward for the owner

First build a good relationship with the owners and tenants in your target building. Understand the needs of all parties and design your plan to provide long -term solutions that meet these needs. Providing low -cost or free direct installation measures for tenants is a way to reduce segmentation incentives. Tenants don't have to worry about seeing the return of greater investment and can still get benefits.

First build a good relationship with the owners and tenants in your target building.

Peco. PECO's multiple houses are 66% or more residents are in or less than 150% of the poverty -stricken housing. The owner applies for the reward of energy conservation measures for the public areas of the building.

The available heat pump measures include wind -cooling heat pumps and air -conditioning heat pumps. As part of the plan, PECO also provides direct installation measures within a free residential unit. Owners can indicate whether to add measures within units on multiple household solutions applications (PDF).

Swinding. SMUD provides heat pumps and HPWH rewards for all multiple households through its multi -family buckle plan. It provides 25% rewards for 50% or more tenants to participate in the low -income rate of public utilities. The plan provides rewards for heat pump upgrades in units and public areas.

The plan website explained that the owner "must participate in the efforts of direct contact with the construction tenants at all stages of SMUD at the stage of SMUD." These participation efforts include apartment visits, on -site education activities and community communication.

4. Obstacles: Before power -on, the family may need to weather or a new electrical system

A successful heat pump plan should include incentive measures to climate change or other families before power -on. According to the ACEEE building decarbon solution report, before installing new heat pumps or HPWH, "many existing houses will need to be upgraded to the power service panel." Family needs good insulation to effectively run and provide all the advantages of the technology.

Strategy: Weatheed as part of the heat pump plan

The heat pump customers usually live in older and inefficient houses. Customers' electrification plan shall solve climate problems before HVAC upgrades.

All customers can save water and electricity costs by installing heat pumps or HPWH. But customers with a large energy burden will benefit the most.

Light of Seattle City. The HOMEWISE weathering plan of the City of Seattle is a direct installation plan for the weatization and improvement of energy efficiency for low -income customers. Participants will get free home energy audits to determine energy improvement. Weighing measures include insulation and pipelines and air seals. Practitioners and homeowners who use electric heating can also obtain free tube -free heat pumps through the plan.

Union Edison. As mentioned earlier, before installing new heat pumps and HPWH for customers who meet the income conditions, Con Edison made weathering as part of its steering electric heating and cooling plan. The utility is upgraded and the air leakage is used to help improve family efficiency and comfort.

Reduce the energy burden of the heat pump customer

All customers can save water and electricity costs by installing heat pumps or HPWH. But customers with a large energy burden will benefit the most. Use efficient electric heating pumps instead of inefficient HVAC systems can provide the benefits of decarburization and energy efficiency.

Public institutional companies with priority considering energy fairness (the flexibility of the requirements of planning cost benefits) must be bold and creative to actively act, and encourage customers to adopt heat pumps. Although we emphasize many emerging strategies and case research have not yet undergone validity or cost benefit assessment, public institutions can consider them because they begin to build electrification in the field of insufficient services.