A new report from the nonprofit RMI highlights that one in five U.S. homes relies on inefficient electric resistance heating, such as space heaters. Switching to heat pumps could save households an average of $1,530 annually and cut carbon emissions by 40 percent. The report calls for incentives to accelerate this transition.
One in five homes in the United States primarily uses electric resistance heating, often space heaters that function like giant toasters, according to a report from the nonprofit energy group RMI. These devices have a coefficient of performance (COP) of one, making them far less efficient than heat pumps, which achieve a COP of around three by transferring heat from outdoor air indoors rather than generating it directly. Energy experts emphasize replacing both gas furnaces and these inefficient heaters with heat pumps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve efficiency. “There’s a lot of benefits to the grid, which translate to lower rates as well,” said Ryan Shea, a manager in RMI’s carbon-free buildings program. “Then, of course, there’s using less energy.” Replacing electric resistance heating with heat pumps in single-family homes would save an average of $1,530 per household yearly, totaling $20 billion nationwide, while easing grid demand and slashing residential carbon emissions by about 40 percent. Heat pumps work year-round, providing cooling in summer and heating in winter, and can integrate into homes with or without ducting. For apartments, innovations like Gradient’s window-sill units offer a quick retrofit; the company installed 277 in a Providence, Rhode Island public housing development in under two weeks, replacing electric resistance heating with efficient heating and cooling. “It is very straightforward and a huge energy win for them,” said Vince Romanin, Gradient’s founder and chief technology officer. “You’re not just saving money. You are providing a dramatically better service, because you’re adding cooling.” The U.S. builds nearly 1.5 million homes annually, with 200,000 using electric resistance heating, and installs a million AC units in such homes each year. Policymakers and utilities should offer rebates, as in Maine, which met its 100,000 heat pump goal early and plans 175,000 more by next year. Experts like Gernot Wagner of Columbia Business School stress pairing replacements with insulation upgrades and grid enhancements powered by renewables.
