State heat pump program still going

NARROWSBURG, NY — Cass Collins recently received a $4,500 ($4,000 for her home) check from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) program to help homeowners finance air source heat pumps (ASHP) to cool and heat their homes.

There is $3.5 million left in funding for the program, according to Dave Lounsbury, owner of Energy Star Dave, which is a NYSERD-certified installer of ASHP systems. To be eligible for the rebate, a property owner must work with a certified installer. The program started in August 2017 with $10.9 million in funding. Property owners can receive $1,000 per ton of heat pump capacity.

Lounsbury said there are a lot of misconceptions about ASHP, such as they don’t work well in cold weather, which he said is simply not true. Heat pumps, he said, have not been well-advertised, leaving many without information on how to use them.

On its website, NYSERDA says, “Recent technological advancements in ASHPs make them a strong alternative to conventional heating in colder regions like New York State. To support this cleaner, more efficient technology, NYSERDA’s Air Source Heat Pump Program is working with ASHP installers to expand New York residents’ access to clean, renewable heating and cooling technology.”

According to NYSERDA, conventional heating and cooling systems are responsible for 32% of greenhouse gas emissions and 37% percent of energy consumption in New York State. Heat pumps significantly reduce the amount of emission of heating and cooling systems and are two to four times more efficient than oil, propane, or electric heat.

NYSERDA also says ASHP are a safer and healthier choice for home heating because they don’t involve the burning of fossil fuel and don’t produce carbon monoxide emissions.

Cass Collins is a columnist for The River Reporter.

Visit www.nyserda.ny.gov for more information.