SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — In the most heating oil-dependent state in the nation, heating pumps have become big business.
Members of the Mills administration, along with Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, announced the latest program aimed at putting more pumps in more homes and training more people to do it.
Thanks to a $10 million grant from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills announced a new heat pump installation program targeting rural pre-fab "manufactured homes," as well as mobile homes.
At Tuesday’s announcement, Mills said that means 675 more homes will get a pump, and the money will pay for expanded workforce training as well.
"With this new support from the Biden administration, and with additional federal support that we anticipate from Maine’s home energy rebate program, I am confident we can achieve our clean energy goals and make a meaningful difference in the lives of Maine people," Mills said, at FW Webb in South Portland.
Pingree urged Mainers to consider investing in a heat pump and said moving from unstably priced fossil fuels like heating oil makes as much financial sense as ethical sense.
"Even if you choose to be one of the people who says 'Oh, climate change doesn't exist; I'm not gonna be one of those hippy Birkenstocks who puts solar panels on my roof,' you can hate this conversation 'til the end, but it's gonna save you a lot of money," she said.
Efficiency Maine's Michael Stoddard told NEWS CENTER Maine that homeowners in the program won’t pay anything until their pump is installed, and then they won’t pay more than $2,500 total, with that paid out in low monthly installments.
Mills has made the move to heat pumps a priority during both terms in office. In 2019, she and the legislature set a goal of 100,000 new heat pumps installed by 2025. In July 2023, she announced Maine had reached the milestone two years early. She then set a new goal of 175,000 additional pumps installed by 2027.