News

Nov 02, 2024

Efficiency Maine’s heat pump and heat pump water heater initiatives receive ‘Leader of the Pack’ award -Piscataquis Observer

AUGUSTA — Efficiency Maine’s success accelerating the electrification of home heating was honored today with the prestigious “Leader of the Pack” award from The American Council for an

AUGUSTA — Efficiency Maine’s success accelerating the electrification of home heating was honored today with the prestigious “Leader of the Pack” award from The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The award, which is bestowed every five years, recognizes outstanding energy efficiency programs across the U.S. This year ACEEE made awards in 10 categories from among nearly 100 programs nominated across the country.

Efficiency Maine emerged the winner in the Home Electrification category for its programs promoting heat pumps and heat pump water heaters in residential buildings. The award for this category is given to a “comprehensive program that replaces a home’s fossil fuel appliances and equipment with more efficient electric alternatives.” Efficiency Maine’s programs have consistently delivered among the highest rates in the U.S. for heat pump and heat pump water heater installations per capita. The Efficiency Maine programs comprise extensive consumer education resources, including tools and tips on its website (https://www.efficiencymaine.com), as well as a tiered system of income-differentiated rebates, pilot programs to test new technology, and close collaboration with trained heat pump installers, plumbers, and electricians across Maine.

ACEEE is a non-profit research organization that develops policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change, and is renowned for its analysis and rankings of energy efficiency programs across the country. The award committee evaluated programs on multiple factors, such as ambitious long-term goals, interim metrics to measure progress, effective marketing to reach target audiences, performance evaluation for ensuring effectiveness, and community engagement, especially with historically underserved communities. It cited Efficiency Maine’s programs for the “significant advancement of heat pump installation and its substantial financial incentives.”

“These exceptional efficiency programs are leading the way for saving energy, cutting pollution, and lowering energy bills,” said Jasmine Mah, senior research analyst at ACEEE and lead researcher for Leaders of the Pack. “Utilities and third-party program administrators seeking to establish or improve energy efficiency programs can look to this diverse set of leaders as models.”

“This award is the result of a great team effort, led by the contractors in Maine who are marketing and installing heat pumps and heat pump water heaters at record rates, and aided by consistent support for Efficiency Maine’s programs from our Board of Trustees and state legislators and officials,” said Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine.

As an early leader in promoting the use of heat pumps in cold climates, Efficiency Maine has now rebated more than 175,000 heat pumps for space heating. In 2023 alone, more than 25,000 Maine homes received Efficiency Maine rebates for heat pumps or heat pump water heaters, equivalent to 4.5 percent of all Maine year-round residences in the state. The quasi-state agency’s heat pump programs have received national recognition in recent years for demonstrating success in cold climates, achieving broad geographic distribution throughout the state, improving homes of low-income and moderate-income families, and piloting new applications in manufactured homes. The programs are also noted for fostering a fast-growing sector of small businesses comprising more than 700 registered trade allies.

The heat pump water heater initiative has been able to achieve the best market penetration in the U.S. by offering incentives to achieve price parity with baseline electric water heaters at the point of sale in retail and distributor outlets, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot. Since its inception, the program has rebated more than 70,000 heat pump water heaters in Maine, a state with approximately 570,000 year-round homes.

“Maine has been a leader in air source heat pump adoption through the leadership of Efficiency Maine Trust to establish industry standards, quality control, and clear and transparent marketing for customers,” said Patrick Woodcock, president & CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “Further, it would not have been possible without the partnership with dozens of Maine businesses who saw the opportunity to lower energy costs and improve home heating and cooling quality to make Maine’s nation-leading adoption possible. The recognition through the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s ‘Home Electrification Leader of the Pack’ is the culmination of over a decade of work from the staff at Efficiency Maine Trust and highlights the continued opportunity in market transformation to meet our state’s and nation’s decarbonization goals and requirements.”

“Efficiency Maine’s initiatives allow PHCC contractors to offer valuable incentives to their customers that result in a win-win for both parties,” said Alice Ames, executive director of Maine Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors. “Our ongoing positive relationship with Efficiency Maine helps these money-saving incentives reach more Maine homeowners as they adopt new energy-efficient heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.”

“Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Mills and Efficiency Maine Trust, Maine has set an example for the nation on how efficient, cost-saving technologies like heat pumps can benefit residents and businesses and significantly reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels,” said Dan Burgess, director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office. “I congratulate Efficiency Maine Trust on this award and look forward to continued collaboration with the Trust and other partners to build on our success and deliver more energy and cost savings for Maine homes and businesses.”

“On behalf of the Efficiency Maine Board of Trustees, we are proud of Efficiency Maine’s accomplishments to successfully promote and support the use of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters in our state,” said Board Chair Glenn Poole. “These programs are supporting energy-efficient and money-saving technologies that have a tangible positive impact on the lives of Maine’s residents and businesses.”

Learn more about Efficiency Maine’s heat pump incentives at https://www.efficiencymaine.com/about-heat-pumps/. Information about heat pump water heater rebates can be found at https://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/water-heating-solutions/.

Additional information on Efficiency Maine’s and other Leaders of the Pack Award recipients can be found on the ACEEE awards webpage. Since the award’s inception, ACEEE has evolved its assessment of efficiency programs to include a greater emphasis on energy equity, electrification with comprehensive weatherization, and reducing carbon emissions.

The Efficiency Maine Trust is the independent, quasi-state agency established to plan and implement energy efficiency programs in Maine. Through its suite of nationally recognized programs, Efficiency Maine provides consumer information, marketing support, demonstration pilots, discounts, rebates, loans, and other initiatives to promote high-efficiency equipment and operations that help Maine’s homes, businesses, and institutions reduce their energy costs and lower their greenhouse gas emissions. The result is job growth, better grid reliability, improved energy independence, a stronger local economy, and critical progress toward meeting the State’s climate change goals. Efficiency Maine is governed by a Board of Trustees with oversight from the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Visit www.efficiencymaine.com for more.