Operating a heat pump in Massachusetts is about to get cheaper

For many utility customers in Massachusetts, heating with a heat pump will become cheaper thanks to a new utility rate structure recently approved by regulators. Many households operating a heat pump in the winter will see a discount of 7 cents per kilowatt-hour, which means they will pay 64% below the rate they pay for electricity in the summer. 

The rate structure is designed to encourage broader heat pump adoption. Massachusetts has a goal of installing 500,000 heat pumps by 2030. 

A heat pump is a highly-efficient system that heats and cools your home in place of a furnace (or boiler) and an air conditioner. Heat pumps are more efficient than other technologies because they move heat rather than create it. “Massachusetts’ clean energy goals are driving action that promises to reduce energy waste and cut pollution, said Johanna Neumann, Senior Director of the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. “When we waste less energy, everyone benefits.”