Meet the cleanest, most efficient all-in-one system for heating and cooling your home.
Great news! If your home has a ground-source heat pump, you’re eligible for reduced electric rates from November – April.
A ground-source heat pump offers the most energy efficient system for heating, cooling, and potentially hot water in a single unit.
Lower pollution than heating and cooling with oil, propane, natural gas, and electric resistance.
Save money on utility bills compared to heating with propane, oil, or electric resistance.
Heating and cooling in one system.
Once installed, no equipment is visible from outside.
Also known as a geothermal heat pump, a ground-source heat pump exchanges heat through piping buried in the ground. In the winter, it absorbs the abundant, renewable heat in the ground to heat your home. In the summer, when the air is warmer than the ground, it uses the cooler temperature of the earth to reduce the temperature of the air in your home.
New construction | System replacements | Whole home heating and cooling
This Old House | 3 min. 55 sec.
This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains how to capture the heat buried deep in the ground.
Ezekiel feels that “a sustainable future needs to be profitable, more fun and more comfortable, or there’s no chance of it getting done.’”
Depending on your utility provider and where you live, you may be able to access complimentary or low-cost ground-source heat pump coaching services. The goal of these services is to help you determine the best heat pump setup for your home, learn about incentives, and estimate your potential savings before or as you are engaging with a contractor.
Check them out below:
Electric Heating and Cooling Rebates: Up to $13,500 for a whole home ground-source heat pump system. May be up to $25,000 if your household is eligible for Enhanced Rebates.
If you live in a town served by a Municipal Light Plant (MLP) check your MLP’s website for incentives and rebates.
Alternative Energy Certificates (AECs): One-time payment provided to homeowners installing ground-source heat pumps. A 2,000 -square-foot home with a whole-home system could receive around 300 AECs, worth approximately $1,500-$3,600.
Mass Save® HEAT Loan: Up to $25,000 at 0% interest over terms of up to 7 years.
Energy Saver Home Loan: Up to $100,000 at up to 2% interest over terms of up to 20 years for income-qualified households
Cost after incentives is estimated by subtracting Mass Save rebate of $13,500 and AECs worth $3,600 from up-front cost.
Cost after incentives may be substantially lower if your household qualifies for income-scaled Mass Save rebates.
Example up-front cost before incentives
$44,000
Example cost after
incentives:
$26,900
Do you want to save on your energy bills?
Switching to ground-source heat pumps could save you hundreds or thousands on your home energy bills every year.
Is your home heating or cooling system approaching the end of its life?
If your heating/cooling system is reaching the end of its expected lifetime, consider replacing it with a ground-source heat pump before it fails.
Are you expecting to stay in your home for several years?
Ground-source heat pumps are the most efficient system available, but will cost more up front to install. If you’re planning on moving in a few years, you might not be able to benefit from all of the potential energy savings offered by ground-source heat pumps.
Are you considering a new construction project?
Ground-source heat pumps can be cheaper to install in new construction projects. Consider designing your home for geothermal from day one!
Are you concerned about outdoor aesthetics?
Ground-source heat pumps don’t have outdoor condensers like central air conditioners or air source heat pumps. All of your outdoor equipment will be buried in the ground, and the heat pump itself will take up no more room than your existing furnace or boiler.
Is your house weatherized (i.e., well-insulated and air-sealed)?
Weatherized homes require less energy to heat, which will allow you to install a smaller GSHP system (less drilling!), reducing the cost of installing a GSHP system and lowering the operating cost.
