Joe Smyth and Kristen Taddonio’s new home saw the coldest temperature this winter was 17 degrees.They live in the small Colorado town of Fraser, which used to get colder.
Still, that February night was cold enough to test the design and technology the couple employed in building their 1,176-square-foot home.Of course they are carefully insulated and have solar panels.Even after charging an electric car, their house produces more energy than it consumes.
Air source heat pumps are at the heart of their mission to create a net zero home that eliminates fossil fuel emissions.It draws heat from the outside to warm the inside even on cold nights.
The Mitsubishi model used by the Fraser home promises to provide the necessary indoor heat even when the outside temperature drops below 13 degrees.To supplement the air source heat pump, should the temperature drop below 30, which used to be common, the couple also installed resistance heating.This is not required.
Colorado needs more air-source heat pumps—and less carbon emissions from buildings—to meet its 90 percent mid-century decarbonization goal.
In the short term, doing this during the housing construction process will reduce costs.According to the Colorado Business Economic Outlook, building permits were issued for 48,200 single- and multi-family housing units last year.It’s like adding a new Greeley and a few towns every year.
Retrofitting our older buildings is laborious and expensive.I know because my house was built in 1889.You don’t replace outbuildings the way you replace a computer or a car.
Several bills that passed the Colorado legislature this spring will push Coloradoans toward low- and carbon-free technologies.All of these require more upfront costs, but can save money over time, sometimes a lot, while reducing or eliminating emissions.
SB22-051 will provide carrots to those buying air and ground source heat pumps.Buyers will be allowed a tax exemption of up to 10% of the purchase price.
Other provisions in the bill approved by the House Energy and Environment Committee provide tax incentives for energy storage and building materials with low embodied carbon levels.
Christine Brinker, a representative of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, testified that her home’s air-source heat pump paid for itself within six years because of lower energy costs.Air source heat pumps help residents of the Arvada Project Geos pay only $6 per month in energy costs.
“Transferring heat is more efficient than creating heat,” said Rep. Mike Weissman, a Louisville Democrat and bill supporter.”I think we can do something good by modifying the payback time curve a little bit. That’s what we need to do to facilitate our transition from fossil fuels.
Air source heat pumps can also transfer heat from inside a building during the summer, effectively becoming an air conditioner.Even in winter parks, real estate buyers want air conditioning.
The second bill, HB-1362, would require towns, cities and counties to adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code by 2025.The latest specification improves efficiency by 8% to 9% compared to the 2018 iteration.
Natural gas will still be allowed, but air source heat pumps more efficiently meet the higher standards of the 2021 regulations.
The Colorado Municipal Coalition opposes losing local control.Despite $3 million for training, two representatives from rural areas said it was a lot of work for a small town.Home builders argue that advanced standards will make already expensive housing more unaffordable.
Howard Geller, who represents the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, cites a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory study that found the latest code does add $200 to the average mortgage cost in Colorado built under the latest code.Even in the first year, the lower energy costs were more than enough to cover the extra costs, he said.
Rep. Tracey Bernett, a Democrat from Longmont whose district includes nearly half of the 1,084 homes destroyed by the Marshall Fire, said she has full confidence that the bill will help, not hurt her of voters.
The bills all passed strict partisan votes by House committees, with support from Democrats.The third bill, HB22-1381, has bipartisan sponsorship – and bipartisan support.It will allocate $20 million to further develop geothermal heat, taking advantage of the year-round 55-degree heat 8 to 10 feet below the surface.
As with air source heat pumps, sponsors say there is a need to drive market adoption of technologies that cost more upfront than installing natural gas infrastructure but pay off in the long run.”It’s something we’re not doing enough,” said Rep. Hugh McKean, a Republican from Loveland, who is installing geothermal heat in a house he’s building.
“I really like this bill,” said Perry Weir, a Republican from Newcastle, citing family members’ experiences using the technology at Rulison and elsewhere.
Featured image: The air source heat pump on the house is central to their mission to create a net zero home.“It recently won the Heat Pump Beauty Pageant,” Taddonio said. The view from their home is also good.
Voice of Ark Valley is an independent, free online news media platform.Investigative, impartial and fact-based journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce.If you value our work, please consider donating to support us.Thanks!
Journalist Alan Best has been a Colorado reporter for more than 40 years, though every newspaper he worked for full-time no longer exists.He has also been published in numerous local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times.Since 2020, he has turned his full attention to the ongoing energy and water transition in Colorado and beyond by publishing Big Pivots.His weekly posts can be found on BigPivots.com.Kind of fits the focus, he did step up to 3 of the 4 corners in Colorado
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