Opportunities for Cost-Effective Residential Heat Pump Adoption in Massachusetts

By Roxana Shafiee and Dan Schrag

Electrification through heat pumps is a primary strategy for decarbonizing residential heating in Massachusetts. The state has announced ambitions for 65% of residential-scale heating to be heat pump equipment by 2030 and 90% by 2040, earmarking nearly 4 billion dollars in incentives between 2022 and 2024 to promote uptake. Yet high electricity prices across the state (among the highest in the country) mean that heat pump adoption will increase household heating bills and energy burdens, preventing widespread uptake. Here, we undertake a comprehensive spatial analysis of the effect of heat pump adoption on residential household heating costs in Massachusetts across a range of heating types and fuel costs. Our aim is to identify where heat pump adoption should be prioritized and where policy, financial, or other measures will be necessary to promote uptake. 

Read the full article at The Belfer Center.