Now more than ever, installing a heat pump is a fantastic way for households to help the environment. Similar to a refrigerator, heat pumps lower temperatures (or raise them) by moving heat. They're an appealing alternative to traditional home heating and cooling methods, especially for people seeking cleaner and more affordable energy sources.
However, as Canary Media detailed, while heat pumps are good for the environment, some may be concerned that they might not be as eco-friendly as they seem. This is because they use electricity and, in the United States, about 60% of electricity is generated from dirty energy sources like coal, oil, or gas.
One may wonder, "Is a heat pump still good for the environment if it's powered by dirty sources?"
Consumers can rest assured knowing the answer is "yes." Even if a heat pump draws power from a dirty energy source like coal or oil, it's still better for the environment than traditional alternatives like gas furnaces.
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A new National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study confirms this. The lab found switching from traditional heating and cooling to a heat pump can lower the pollution created by household energy on average by 36% to 64%, as Canary Media summarized.
To put that into perspective, the high end of that range is roughly equivalent to the pollution produced by a round-trip flight between New York and Tokyo, per the news outlet.
Installing heat pumps is a win-win for both households and the planet.
Eric Wilson, a senior researcher at NREL, told Canary Media, "If every American home with gas, oil, or inefficient electric-resistance heating were to swap it right now for heat-pump heating, the emissions of the entire U.S. economy would shrink by 5% to 9%."
For those interested in making the switch, Rewiring America offers a free service that provides an estimate based on your home's needs. There are also rebates available through the Inflation Reduction Act and tools to help you make the most of them. If you don't want to completely change your current heating setup, micro-heat pumps are an affordable supplement.
The bottom line is that the average household can make a significant impact, even when drawing from a dirty power grid.
"It's better to switch now rather than later," Wilson said, "and [avoid locking yourself into] another 20 years of a gas furnace or boiler."
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