Letter to the Editor

All About Heat Pumps–Webinar February 1

Dear Editor,

Heat pumps have been getting a lot of buzz—and a lot of questions. This free webinar, Wednesday February 1 from 7-8 pm, is your chance to learn. It’s worth learning even if you think heat pumps don’t apply to your housing situation.

The Downtown Chapter of Mothers Out Front, a non-profit mobilizing for a livable future, is presenting Loie Hayes of the Green Energy Consumers, a non-profit that harnesses consumer power to speed the transition to a low-carbon future.

Why Should I Care About Heat Pumps?  They are a necessary part of our future. We must move away from fossil fuels to mitigate climate change and meet our city and state goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings in Boston account for a whopping 70% of the City’s emissions.

What Are Heat Pumps?  Heat pumps can transfer heat into your home from air, water, or the ground outside your home. The webinar will focus on air-source heat pumps, which have a compressor unit outside connected to either a system of heating/cooling ducts or to one or more ductless air handlers or “heads”.

Do They Really Work in New England? Yes! They work in low temperatures—and provide cooling in summer as well!

Really– a Heat Pump Could Replace My Air Conditioner? Absolutely. Some suggest they should be called “heat and cool pumps”.

Aren’t They Expensive?  The webinar will note a variety of subsidies, credits, and tax incentives that help with the initial investment, as well as the savings over time.

Do they work in small apartments, or only in single family homes?  Heat pumps can be effective in a great variety of settings, including a single room or office, a single-family home, or a multi-unit building. Configurations vary.  Ductless systems can work for a single room or apartment, with a “mini-split” fixture mounted on the floor or wall or ceiling.  Buildings with a central duct system for a furnace or air conditioning can often use those duct systems.

How Do I Figure Out Whether Heat Pumps Make Sense for My Apartment or Building? The webinar is a great first step. It will address these and many other questions and invite you to ask your own.

To join the webinar, you can sign up at https://www.mothersoutfront.org/events/boston_ma_20230201/.

Betsy Peterson,
Mothers Out Front Downtown Boston