Fifty percent of Californians will need to upgrade or replace a natural gas furnace or old air conditioning unit in the near future. If you’re part of that statistic, there is an all-electric two-in-one alternative that could help the Earth and your wallet.
The heat pump is a heating and cooling system that eliminates the need for a gas furnace and uses the same technology as your refrigerator to keep your house cool.
"It essentially absorbs the heat in your home and dumps it outside of your home to create a cool environment for you," explained Jon Griesser, Director of Energy Programs at Central Coast Community Energy.
It's a single unit that can both heat and cool your home and uses refrigerant to do so instead of burning fossil fuels. In an area like the Central Coast where many communities were built without cooling appliances, the heat pump can be added to a home with or without a duct system.
If this heat finally pushes you to make the addition or update your current A/C, Central Coast Community Energy hopes to make it financially friendly via rebatesand by partnering with contractors to help lower up-front installation fees.
"We know these appliances are going to turn over either way, so this is not about do something you weren’t going to do it's about making a better decision, a cheaper decision when you do something you were going to do anyway," Griesser said.
They also partner with statewide programs to enhance savings as much as possible through additional rebates and discount programs.
