For over 50 years, residents of Carroll Tower in Providence, Rhode Island, relied on electric baseboards for heating and window AC units for cooling.
Now, the 194-apartment public housing development for senior citizens has had its entire HVAC system transformed with modern heat pump technology.
According to a report from Fast Company, 277 heat pumps from the climate tech startup Gradient were installed in the building as a part of a $1.25 million project between Providence Housing Authority, Gradient, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, Abode Energy Management, and Envr Air.
The project took 12 days to complete and marks one of the largest heat pump installations in the U.S.
Compared to electric baseboard heating or conventional natural gas or propane furnaces, heat pumps operate slightly differently. Instead of generating heat, heat pumps extract ambient heat from the air and move it from one place to another.
In turn, these next-gen units are extremely efficient and one of the best ways to curb rising energy costs. Homeowners who ditch their outdated system for a $0-down modern HVAC lease from Palmetto can lower their energy costs by up to 50%.
According to early estimates, the Carroll Tower heat pump upgrade could translate into $94,500 in annual energy savings and reduce harmful fuel-related pollution by over 200 tons.
Roughly 20% planet-warming pollution in the U.S. comes from heating, cooling, and powering residential buildings and households, according to a study published in the journal PNAS. Replacing large HVAC systems like the one in Carroll Tower with more efficient heat pumps can significantly reduce the polluting impact of these buildings.
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Kristin Toussaint, author of the Fast Company report, noted that such reductions hold true regardless of the power source used.
"Heat pumps are a particularly promising climate solution; even when they rely on an electricity grid powered by fossil fuels, they still cut tons of emissions a year," she wrote.
Luckily, the savings available through heat pump upgrades are not limited to large multi-residential buildings. In fact, a recent Harvard study found that heat pump upgrades could translate into meaningful savings across the U.S., with single dwellings and businesses standing to benefit.
While exact savings vary by energy rates and local climate, the experts noted that some homeowners can save up to $3,000 by ditching their baseboard heating for a modern system.
To see what an ultra-efficient heating and cooling unit can do for your home's comfort and energy costs, connect with the experts at Palmetto. Palmetto offers HVAC leases as low as $99 a month that include over 12 years of free maintenance.
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