Emily Collins, Zondits guest, 2/1/2024 By now, it’s no secret that heat pumps just might be a key factor in climate solutions. From reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to saving homeowners money on their monthly utility bills, the heat pump continues to increase in popularity. In 2022 alone, even before the U.S. passed the Inflation … Read more
Camryn Hansen, Zondits guest, 11/15/2023 After hearing for years how much more efficient heat pumps are than any other type of heating system, I was dismayed to discover how much it actually cost to use them to heat my home in Maine during the winter. The answer is that last year, for me, it was … Read more
Camryn Hansen, Zondits guest, 10/24/2023 I blogged previously about the numerous cumbersome steps it took to have heat pumps installed in my 100-year-old Maine house. In that blog I promised to publish future blogs exploring the topic of support—who or what would have made my process easier and how can we remove barriers to the … Read more
Camryn Hansen, Zondits guest, 7/25/2023 After years of considering heat pumps and hearing from a series of contractors that my house was not a good candidate, I took the plunge and installed them anyway. I’ve now lived with my heat pumps for a full year, and here’s the rundown. I live in Portland, Maine in … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 2/21/2023 “The battle has just begun. Stay tuned.” What’s that about? The 2024 election? Spy balloons? Vaccines? Heck no, it’s about how we choose to heat our homes. That statement comes from a consultant with the National Oilheat Research Alliance. There is a battle brewing over the growing heat pump market … Read more
Mark D’Antonio, Zondits staff, 12/20/2022 Zondits spoke with Mark D’Antonio, Senior Principal Consultant at DNV, who is part of a team that is developing efficient clean technology approaches to decarbonizing the built environment. I live in a multifamily complex and the comfort level is not very good in the winter. I have heard that there … Read more
Brian McCowan, Zondits staff, 5/31/2022 Many U.S. states offer tax credits and efficiency program rebates for the installation of electric heat pumps in homes and commercial buildings. Newly introduced federal legislation would provide tax credits directly to the manufacturers of such products. The Senate bill is sponsored jointly by Democratic Senators Klobuchar, Smith, Hickenlooper, Whitehouse, … Read more
aceee.org, 10/01/2020. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) moved one step closer today to blocking a future administration from cutting the amount of natural gas wasted by furnaces and water heaters. Two of the biggest energy needs in most buildings are heating the air and heating the water. According to DOE, they together account for 62% … Read more
greentechmedia.com, June 5, 2020. Buildings were first electrified nearly 150 years ago. So, why is it that “building electrification” is now among the energy industry’s most popular buzzwords? Most buildings run on multiple fuels. They use electricity to power lights, refrigerators and electronic devices. And they consume fossil fuels such as natural gas or propane to power … Read more
greentechmedia.com, June 5, 2020. Current conversations around the energy transition often focus on the power and transportation sectors. But decarbonization of other sectors, such as heat, is also critical to meeting national and regional climate targets. Heat makes up 35 percent of global energy consumption, and when it comes to space heating, direct combustion of fossil … Read more