Installing the necessary infrastructure for a typical air-conditioning installation is expensive, McPherson said, so her family turned to installing windows, so the costs increased. A few years later they switched to an air source heat pump.
“We would really like to add cooling to the house, but we don’t have air ducts. Thus, a heat pump is a really good and economical solution to add in the summer. We also use it to offset some of the heating during the warmer months,” McPherson said.
A heat pump can heat and cool a house at the same time, all in one unit. Works like a refrigerator. Instead of generating heat or cold air from fuel, it moves air in and out of the house to reach the desired temperature, taking heat from the air in summer and from outside air in winter.
Experts say it’s a more energy efficient option that reduces carbon emissions. Heat pump sales outsold gas-fired ovens last year, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Rewiring America.
“During the heating season, the cost of a gas boiler is quite low, but it is more economical than a standard air conditioner,” said McPherson, who works at the Minnesota Center for Energy and the Environment.
But McPherson also has a gas stove, which she uses during the harshest winters. Demand may rise, but heat pumps of the past were impractical and therefore unattractive in colder climates such as Minnesota.
However, the Center for Energy and the Environment determined in a recent report that better technologies make it easier to install functional heat pumps in cold weather. Some newer models can withstand temperatures down to -13 degrees and function well. For older models, efficiency and power drop “significantly” at temperatures below 40 degrees.
That’s why the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, a consumer watchdog group, recommends that you use an alternative heat source.
The center also calculated that a high-efficiency heat pump could save a single-family home $1,000 a year in heating bills. The US Department of Energy estimates that heat pumps can reduce the amount of electricity needed to heat half-furnaces and baseboard heaters.
The federal Inflation Reduction Act, passed last year, included financial incentives for energy efficiency and investment in clean energy, including heat pumps, which are very expensive between purchase and installation costs.
These tax breaks and rebates are expected to take effect in Minnesota in December, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The package includes a $2,000 heat pump tax credit and an $8,000 rebate.
The bill, discussed Tuesday in a House committee, would provide state rebates of up to $4,000 on heating and cooling alternatives. To be eligible, Minnesota residents must accept or apply for the federal program.
Homeowners must also complete an energy audit of the home within the last 18 months and install the recommended insulation and sealing for maximum energy efficiency. The bill also requires the Department of Commerce to provide training to heat pump contractors.
Click here to find contractors that have been vetted by the Minnesota Air Source Heat Pump Collaborative, a joint project between the Center for Energy and Environment and utilities including CenterPoint and Xcel Energy.
Caroline Cummings is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with a passion for covering politics, public policy, and government. She is excited to join the WCCO team.