Reader view: Celebrating Earth Day with a heat pump installation

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Monday, April 22 was Earth Day and to have a good time, I had a warmth pump put in. It wasn’t deliberate that method — I’ve been fascinated with this for months and I lastly pulled the set off two weeks in the past. The set up was initially scheduled for Tuesday, April 23 however on the final minute I obtained a name from the installer to see if I might accommodate them on Monday as a substitute. Serendipity.

My motivations for endeavor this mission have been different. Our home had an electrical furnace so I wasn’t burning fossil fuels for warmth however electrical furnaces that use resistive components to generate warmth, which is then blown via ductwork, are very costly to function. My January electrical invoice was $535. In December 2022, my invoice was $616. Shifting to a warmth pump ought to lower my heating prices by at the least 50% and as much as as a lot as two-thirds. Utilizing pretty conservative estimates for what portion of my invoice really goes to area heating vs. water heating and different makes use of — and assuming at the least some use of backup resistive heating when temperatures drop beneath the “Steadiness Level” of my system — I’m assured that the warmth pump set up will save me round $1,000 per yr.

Since nearly the entire electrical energy that we use in Washington is generated from hydroelectric initiatives, the vitality I exploit is clear. By lowering the quantity of vitality I eat, particularly throughout peak demand durations, I additionally scale back the necessity for the PUD to purchase further energy throughout these durations. That further energy isn’t essentially as clear as the ability that’s generated domestically, so there’s an added environmental profit from that.

One other motivation that was very compelling was the provision of rebates, reductions and credit that exist proper now. With over $2,800 in reductions, $300 in rebates from the PUD and a Costco rebate of $2,390, the entire value of the unit, put in, was beneath $15,000 and that’s earlier than accounting for two% member advantages from Costco plus one other 2% for paying utilizing my Costco bank card. After which there’s one other $2,000 tax credit score that I’ll get again off my 2024 taxes subsequent yr. The online result’s that this unit can pay for itself in about 12 years and that’s with out factoring in any enhance in the price of electrical energy over that interval.

A few of these reductions have been time restricted and are not accessible however maintain a watch out for brand spanking new reductions that I believe will emerge.  Additionally, I didn’t qualify for the entire potential rebates and tax credit so it’s value trying into further rebates and credit that could be accessible in your state of affairs. The PUD provides a rebate of as much as $1,800 (vs. the $300 that I acquired) if your own home is extra insulated and you’ll obtain a “steadiness level” of 30 F, which implies that the warmth pump you put in can meet the demand of the house for warmth when out of doors temperatures dip to 30 F with out the necessity for any backup resistive heating. There are additionally further rebates accessible for low- to moderate- earnings households via the federal authorities’s Inflation Discount Act incentives program.

And naturally, there’s the additional benefit of getting the choice of air con in the summertime time, though that’s unlikely for use greater than a few weeks out of the yr. However it’s good to have it — simply in case.

The precise set up went very easily. A staff arrived at my home round 8 a.m. One man put in the brand new air handler whereas one other put in the warmth pump outdoors and a 3rd did {the electrical} work. They have been all executed by 3:30 within the afternoon.

All in all, I’m more than happy with the simplicity of this course of and I sit up for having accessible air con this summer time and considerably decrease electrical energy payments subsequent winter.

If you need to be taught extra about this, SnoPUD is internet hosting an vitality block celebration in Everett on Saturday, April 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There may be additionally nice data on-line at Rewiring America. Among the greatest hyperlinks embody: