For Climate Week, Governor Mills Celebrates Maine’s Progress Toward Installing 100,000 Heat Pumps by 2025

Efficiency Maine Trust and MaineHousing report installing more than 28,000 high-efficiency heat pumps in Maine buildings over the past year.

Dover-Foxcroft, MAINE – During a visit to Dave’s World in Dover-Foxcroft today, Governor Janet Mills announced that more than 28,000 high-efficiency heat pumps have been installed in Maine buildings over the past year, marking a major milestone toward the governor’s target of installing 100,000 new heat pumps by 2025.

The more than 28,000 heat pumps installed in Maine stem from legislation signed by Governor Mills in 2019, which established the state’s ambitious 2025 heat pump target, enhanced heat pump rebate incentives through Efficiency Maine Trust, and established a low-income heat pump program at MaineHousing.

The majority of the heat pumps announced today – 27,326 -- were installed in Maine homes and other buildings using rebate incentives provided by the Efficiency Maine Trust from July 2020 through June 2021. This figure represents more than twice the 12,758 heat pumps installed during prior 12-month period.

Governor Mills was joined at today’s announcement by Michael Stoddard, executive director of the Efficiency Maine Trust, and Matt Scott, co-owner and vice president of Dave’s World. With four locations in Maine, Dave’s World is Maine’s largest installer of high-efficiency heat pumps, which are affordable, efficient, and accessible heating and cooling appliances and important components for reducing harmful carbon emissions. 

“Maine is the most heating oil dependent state in the country. Transitioning to heat pumps instead of costly, inefficient and environmentally-harmful heating oil is creating good-paying jobs, curbing our carbon emissions, and cutting costs for Maine families while making them more comfortable in their homes, a hat trick for our state,” said Governor Mills. “Today I am proud to celebrate the progress we have made in reaching our goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps by 2025 and encourage Maine people to take advantage of our incentives to help them make the transition.”

Governor Mills has made growing the clean energy economy central to Maine’s plans for combatting climate change by setting a goal of more than doubling the number of clean energy and energy efficiency jobs across Maine to 30,000 by 2030.

Installation data from Efficiency Maine Trust show extensive adoption of heat pumps in rural and northern Maine, which underscores the economic benefits of the program and success of the enhanced incentive program enacted by Governor Mills in 2019. Adding 100,000 new heat pumps in Maine by 2025 is also forecasted to reduce heating bills between $300 and $600 a year per home.

“Rural and northern Mainers have been the first to figure out the awesome advantages of heat pumps, and they are leading the way with the most installations per capita,” said Michael Stoddard, executive director of the Efficiency Maine Trust. “Efficiency Maine looks forward to the next few years as Maine’s heat pump revolution spreads to small businesses, municipal and public school buildings, new construction, and the rest of the state.”

“Dave’s World is proud to support progress toward this important goal for Maine, and thanks Governor Mills and Efficiency Maine Trust for their efforts to promote the cost savings and environmental benefits of high-efficiency heat pumps,” said Matt Scott, co-owner and vice president of Dave’s World. “Our heat pump business is better than ever, which has allowed us to grow and sustain good-paying jobs and invest in our communities across Maine.”

“Heat pumps are proving to be great solutions for lower-income Mainers to heat and cool their homes, while saving on their monthly bills,” said Dan Brennan, Director of MaineHousing. “MaineHousing is proud to support the state’s heat pump goals, and Governor Mills and the Maine Legislature deserve credit for putting Maine on this important path.” 

Governor Mills made this announcement to mark Climate Week, a national effort to recognize and advance climate action. Maine’s climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, identifies the State’s heat pump target a critical strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.

“Maine has a bold plan for climate action and today’s announcement shows how this Administration is delivering on that promise with results,” said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and co-chair of the Maine Climate Council. “Every heat pump installed in Maine helps create saving for homeowners, businesses and towns, while reducing emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.”

On Monday, Governor Mills also declared this week as Clean Energy Week in Maine, to recognize the critical need to develop clean energy to contribute to the global efforts against climate change, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and build a thriving economy with good-paying jobs across Maine.

Governor Mills has taken steps to embrace clean energy and prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate change on Maine. Maine has set some of the most aggressive renewable energy requirements in the country – 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, and a goal of 100 percent by 2050. Maine also enacted aggressive targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions - 45 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050, as well as achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. 

Governor Mills has also pledged to more than double Maine’s clean energy and energy efficiency jobs to 30,000 by 2030; to expand incentives for purchasing electric vehicles (EV) and build more EV charging stations across Maine; to double the pace of home weatherization; and to purchase more renewable energy through the state procurement process. 

Significant support for climate and energy priorities has also been included in the state biennial budget and the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, the plan by Governor Mills to allocate nearly $1 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Following her visit to Dave’s World, Governor Mills will travel to Greenville where she will tour Dove Tail Bats, meet with local small business owners, and take a walking tour of downtown Greenville with Heather Johnson, the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

Later in the evening, Governor Mills will deliver remarks at the Maine Chiefs of Police Association Banquet.