Heat pump owners to get a break on electric rates to lower winter costs
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To enroll in the rate program, customers with heat pumps need to contact their utility by November 1. Households with heat pumps installed through Mass Save are automatically enrolled in the rates.
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Mass Save is an incentive program funded by surcharges on utility bills. It offers income-based rebates on heat pump installations and other energy efficiency services at low or no cost.
'With heat pump adoption picking up statewide, these discount rates will further help make a dent in winter heating bills,' said DPU Chair James Van Nostrand in a statement. 'The seasonal rates we approved for heat pump households puts money back into customers' pockets.'
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Despite their name, heat pumps can both heat and cool buildings. They heat homes by extracting heat from outside air and cool homes by extracting heat from indoor air.
The technology itself is not new, but earlier versions of heat pumps struggled in cold climates such as New England's.
Buildings accounted for about 30 percent of greenhouse gases in Massachusetts in 2021. The state has encouraged residents to transition to heat pumps because their energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions align with the state's
More than 90,000 households installed heat pumps through Mass Save from January 2021 through July, 2024,
according to state data. The state aims to have heat pumps in 100,000 households by 2025, and 500,000, or approximately
The vast majority of households in the state –
Critics of Massachusetts' energy policies say the state is not considering that costs of climate initiatives and subsidies. Paul Craney, director of the conservative research group Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said that many households can't afford to convert heating and cooling systems.
'I haven't heard Governor [Maura] Healey answer how much the net zero by 2050 will cost or who will pay for it,' he said. 'Lower and middle class folks are being told they have to buy heat pumps, but it hurts their paychecks the most.'
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Installing a heat pump system to heat and cool an entire home
Those who wish to take advantage of federal incentives would need to install heat pumps by December of this year after President Trump's One Big Beautiful bill that eliminated clean energy incentives granted during the Biden administration.
The state Department of Energy Resources and climate advocacy groups call for even
Yogev Toby can be reached at
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Boston Globe
01-08-2025
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Heat pump owners to get a break on electric rates to lower winter costs
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up To enroll in the rate program, customers with heat pumps need to contact their utility by November 1. Households with heat pumps installed through Mass Save are automatically enrolled in the rates. Advertisement Mass Save is an incentive program funded by surcharges on utility bills. It offers income-based rebates on heat pump installations and other energy efficiency services at low or no cost. 'With heat pump adoption picking up statewide, these discount rates will further help make a dent in winter heating bills,' said DPU Chair James Van Nostrand in a statement. 'The seasonal rates we approved for heat pump households puts money back into customers' pockets.' Advertisement Despite their name, heat pumps can both heat and cool buildings. They heat homes by extracting heat from outside air and cool homes by extracting heat from indoor air. The technology itself is not new, but earlier versions of heat pumps struggled in cold climates such as New England's. Buildings accounted for about 30 percent of greenhouse gases in Massachusetts in 2021. The state has encouraged residents to transition to heat pumps because their energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions align with the state's More than 90,000 households installed heat pumps through Mass Save from January 2021 through July, 2024, according to state data. The state aims to have heat pumps in 100,000 households by 2025, and 500,000, or approximately The vast majority of households in the state – Critics of Massachusetts' energy policies say the state is not considering that costs of climate initiatives and subsidies. Paul Craney, director of the conservative research group Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said that many households can't afford to convert heating and cooling systems. 'I haven't heard Governor [Maura] Healey answer how much the net zero by 2050 will cost or who will pay for it,' he said. 'Lower and middle class folks are being told they have to buy heat pumps, but it hurts their paychecks the most.' Advertisement Installing a heat pump system to heat and cool an entire home Those who wish to take advantage of federal incentives would need to install heat pumps by December of this year after President Trump's One Big Beautiful bill that eliminated clean energy incentives granted during the Biden administration. The state Department of Energy Resources and climate advocacy groups call for even Yogev Toby can be reached at
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