Golden Discusses the Use of Heat Pumps as an Energy Efficient Upgrade for Homeowners in CNBC Article

December 22, 2022

CNBC

Jay Golden

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Center for Environmental Policy and Administration

Energy

Sustainability

United States

CNBC

Jay Golden

New and expanded government incentives, coupled with sharply rising utility costs, make switching to a home heat pump compelling.

Especially when used in connection with clean electricity sources like rooftop or community solar, a heat pump—a single electric appliance that can replace a homeowner’s traditional air conditioner and furnace system—can warm and cool a home with less planetary harm.

Rather than generating heat, these devices transfer heat from the cool outdoors into the warm indoors and vice versa during warm weather. Heat pumps rely on electricity instead of natural gas or propane, both of which have a higher carbon emission than renewable electricity such as wind or solar, says Jay S. Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance and director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab.