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, we try 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 these goals?
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 and ground-source heat pumps. The rest of our coaching clients are well-informed about what to do if they decide to heat smart in the future! The Alliance also offered a 5-session coach-training course to residents in 24 cities and towns 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 want coaching programs of their own.
To date, more than a dozen communities across Massachusetts have started local heat pump coaching programs, and they reach out to us regularly for training and advice. Groups from other states have sought help from our organization as well. Check out what York Ready for Climate Action in Maine said about starting their climate program at our monthly meeting.
Simply put, we’ve been doing our bit in the state-wide and national efforts to decarbonize homes: 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–the equivalent of the weight of 40 Tahoes worth of carbon.
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.
Last but not least, we completed a major overhaul of our website! We reorganized all the information on our digital home and presented it in a more visually appealing way. We 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!
