Using Heat Pumps in New York State

Background

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), also known as the Climate Act, was passed in 2019 to provide New Yorkers with a framework on to how fight climate change in their homes, workplaces, and communities. The Climate Act aims to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of net-zero and statewide expansion of renewable energy use, while all the communities to be involved will receive benefits from these sustainable transitions.

In December 2022, in accordance with the CLCPA, New York published its final Scoping Plan. This plan discusses required changes that will occur (as a result of working to comply with the CLCPA) in different sectors of the economy such as industry, utilities, agriculture, building, and transportation.

How Do Heat Pumps Work?

Heat pumps represent a more energy efficient way to heat or cool your home or space without burning fossil fuels. Unlike traditional heating systems, heat pumps move heat instead of generating it. These systems run on a similar technology as freezers, refrigerators, or air conditioners.

Electric heat pumps draw heat from the environment and use fans and compressors to either move the heat out of a space for a cooler environment or into a space as a means of heating. This means that during the summer, heat is pumped out of a house and during the winter, heat is pumped into a house from the outside.

When the system is on heating mode, the heat is extracted from either subsurface air or groundwater. When the heat pump is on cooling mode, the heat is pumped out of the interior of your house, resulting in a cooler temperature indoors. 75% of the heating/cooling provided by the heat pump system comes from the air or ground, while only 25% of the electric energy is used to power the system.

What Are the Benefits of Heat Pumps?

Other than the dual heating and cooling capabilities, the installation of heat pumps can have several benefits, such as:

• Cost efficiency
• Controlled temperature zones
• Less maintenance
• Sustainable and environmentally friendly (no fossil fuels used locally)

What Kinds of Heat Pumps Are Available?

There are three main types of heat pumps, depending on where the heat is extracted from or transferred to. The three kinds of heat pumps are:

• Air source heat pumps
• Ground source (geothermal) heat pumps
• Heat pump water heaters

There are also different types of options for heat pump sizing, depending on whether it is being designed for the whole home, part of the home, single rooms, or retrofitting an existing hot water or forced air fossil fuel system.

How Will Heat Pumps Be Implemented in the Future?

The CLCPA, together with the New York State Clean Heat program, is encouraging installation of heat pumps for a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly way of heating or cooling one’s home. Through the Climate Act, approximately 1-2 million homes throughout the state must be powered with heat pumps by 2030. New Yorkers who are interested in early adoption of CLCPA goals can find a variety of state and federal grants available to aid in necessary conversion work.

For more information, visit the following links:

NYS Climate Act (CLCPA)

NYS Clean Heat

If you are interested in learning more about heat pumps and other sustainable technologies that will be implemented as a part of the CLCPA’s Scoping Plan, contact Walden at 516-758-1273. We are closely monitoring changes that will result from CLCPA requirements, and will continue to post updates as more information comes out.