MAINE PUBLIC • October 31, 2024
A new incentive program aimed at getting Maine homeowners to switch to high-efficiency heat pumps for all their heating and cooling has finally taken off, according to Efficiency Maine Trust. The quasi-state agency provided 1,814 standard rebates for whole-home heat pump systems between July and September, outpacing the 1,805 standard rebates it approved in the previous nine months. Efficiency Maine stopped offering financial incentives for most single-unit heat pumps last year, after research suggested most were used inefficiently for supplemental heat. Combined with rebates for low- and middle-income households, the agency gave out incentives for 3,530 whole-home systems since its fiscal year started in July, according to Efficiency Maine Executive Director Michael Stoddard. "It's working. It's taking off," Stoddard said.