With 2024 now behind us and the first months of 2025 underway, here’s a recap of what the HeatSmart Alliance has been up to! We’ll start by discussing our coaching and outreach efforts. Upcoming blogs will put the spotlight on membership growth and changes in our organization, as well as what our technology working group accomplished last year.
As many of you know, the HeatSmart Alliance came together to do something tangible about climate change. Specifically, our organization tries to educate people about the benefits of energy-efficient heating and cooling systems like heat pumps, and help members of the community transition to more climate-forward technologies. So what progress did we make towards achieving this goal?
In 2024, the Alliance coached more than 130 homeowners on adopting heat pumps for their homes. Many of those who learned from our coaches have begun replacing their fossil-fuel-powered HVAC systems with air-to-air or ground-source heat pumps. The rest of the coaching clients are well informed about what to do should they decide to heat smart in the future! The Alliance also offered a 5-session coach-training course to over 30 trainees from 24 communities across Massachusetts, who will be able to give one-on-one advice about comparing heat pump technologies, choosing an installer, and reading quotes to homeowners near them. In addition, the Alliance broadened its efforts to mentor community-based organizations that wanted coaching programs of their own.
To date, more than a dozen eastern Massachusetts communities have started local heat pump coaching programs, and they reach out to us regularly for training and advice. Other communities in Massachusetts and from other states have sought help from our organization as well. Recently, York Ready for Climate Action in Maine spoke about starting their climate program and the support they received from the Alliance at our monthly meeting.
In a nutshell, we’ve been doing our bit in the state-wide and national efforts to decarbonize homes: Though we don’t have hard data, we estimate that 800 to 1,200 homeowners received heat-pump coaching in 2024 through the HeatSmart Alliance and various local, community-based coaching programs. That’s enough to lower CO2 emissions by 3,000 metric tons or consuming 7,000 fewer barrels of oil.
Outreach
The Alliance also knows that if it wants homeowners to adopt more climate-forward heating and cooling systems, it needs to get the word out about heat pumps!
In 2024, Alliance members joined community-based groups like The Harvard Climate Initiative, Sustainable Stowe, Dover Unplugged, and the North Parish Climate Justice Group to present at more than 30 events, both virtually and in person. Alliance members answered questions about installing heat pumps, cost estimates, and how to get started replacing an aging HVAC system. Together, these conferences, talks and Q & A sessions helped educate another several hundred people about lowering carbon emissions at home.
Last but not least, the HeatSmart Alliance completed a major overhaul of its website! Our Communications Working Group partnered with a web developer during the summer and fall to reorganize all the information on our digital home and present it in a more visually appealing way. The working group edited all the content for readability and added interactive maps. We hope you love the result as much as we do!
In 2025, our goal is to continue the positive momentum and help even more people install heat pumps, while continuing to spread the word about how efficient, safe, and comfortable these technologies can be.
Stay tuned to learn more, including what our technology working group has been up to, as well as changes in our organization!
