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Northeast HVAC
News
Maine Surpasses 100,000 Heat Pump Goal.
After Maine Surpasses 100,000 Heat Pump Goal Two Years Ahead of
Schedule, Governor Mills Sets New, Ambitious Target.
Governor Janet Mills today announced
that Maine has – two years ahead of time – surpassed its goal of
installing 100,000 new heat pumps by 2025, a milestone that
represents significant progress in reducing Maine’s reliance on
heating oil, lowering heating costs, and curbing harmful carbon
emissions.
White House National Climate Advisor Ali
Zaidi joins Governor Mills to announce milestone at heat pump
workforce lab at Kennebec Valley Community College
To continue Maine’s momentum, Governor
Mills also unveiled a new target: installing another 175,000
additional heat pumps in Maine by 2027, thereby bringing the number
of heat pumps installed in Maine homes, businesses, and public
buildings during her time in office to 275,000. If this target is
achieved, Maine would have more than 320,000 heat pumps in total
installed across the state.
Maine’s heat pump progress stems from legislation signed by Governor
Mills in 2019, which established the state’s heat pump target of
100,000, enhanced heat pump rebate incentives through Efficiency
Maine, and established a low-income heat pump program at
MaineHousing. Through these programs, approximately 104,000 heat
pumps have been installed in Maine.
Governor Mills announced the milestone at Kennebec Valley Community
College (KVCC) in Fairfield, where she unveiled the initial goal in
2019. Following that announcement, the Maine Community College
System expanded its heat pump workforce programs, and has trained
558 heat pump technicians to date, including more than 250 at KVCC,
which opened an all-new heat pump workforce training lab in early
2021.
The governor was joined for the announcement by White House National
Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, who extended his congratulations to
Governor Mills and the State of Maine for its climate leadership by
embracing heat pumps to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, increase
overall energy efficiency, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our transition to heat pumps is creating good-paying jobs, curbing
our reliance on fossil fuels, and cutting costs for Maine families,
all while making them more comfortable in their homes – a hat trick
for our state,” said Governor Janet Mills. “We are setting an
example for the nation, and with our new and ambitious goal, we will
continue to lead the way when it comes to embracing efficient,
climate-friendly technologies that strengthen our economy, protect
our environment, and save people money.”
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“Maine is paving the
way for states across the country seeking to build a clean energy
future that protects our climate and creates good-paying jobs for
all Americans,” said Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate
Advisor. “The progress also shows that President Biden’s Investing
in America agenda is working — helping turbocharge efforts like
what’s underway in Maine by expanding access to cost-saving clean
energy upgrades and cutting the pollution that hurts our environment
and public health. I applaud Governor Mills for her leadership and
the State of Maine for reaching this ambitious goal — and now
reaching even higher to promote a clean energy future for all
Mainers.”
“Spurred by Governor Mills’ clear call to action on heat pumps in
2019, we immediately added training lab space, hired more
instructors, developed new short-term training programs, and
incorporated new heat pump training units into our degree and
certificate programs,” said David Daigler, President of the Maine
Community College System. “Today, I’m proud to say it worked.
Maine’s community colleges have trained 558 heat pump installers,
with 60 percent of them trained through short-term workforce
training programs, further showing why Maine’s community colleges
are the state’s go-to for nimble, responsive workforce training.”
Maine’s success in installing heat pumps has earned wide recognition
for how the high-efficiency heating and cooling technology works
well in rural areas with cold climates and can generate new economic
and workforce opportunities for Maine people.
Installation data from Efficiency Maine Trust show heat pumps have
broad adoption in rural and northern Maine, which underscores the
economic benefits of the program and success of the enhanced
incentive program enacted by Governor Mills in 2019.
“You have to be impressed with what Maine's community of heat pump
installers have accomplished in our state," said Michael Stoddard,
Executive Director of Efficiency Maine. "Their adept marketing and
skilled installations make them the perfect partners for the
incentive programs that the Governor and Legislature have funded
through Efficiency Maine's programs, and together we are changing
how Mainers heat and cool their buildings."
“We know that when a lower-income home can add a heat pump, it helps
reduce overall heating and cooling costs and trims our dependence on
carbon-emitting fuels. It helps our planet and enhances a home’s
affordability and a heating system’s reliability, all at the same
time,” said Erik Jorgensen, Senior Director of Communications and
Government Relations at MaineHousing. “MaineHousing is proud of its
contributions in helping Maine accomplish our heat pump goal.”
Since taking office, Governor Mills has prioritized action against
climate change in Maine through reducing carbon emissions,
transitioning to renewable energy, and making Maine communities more
resilient to climate effects.
In May, she was elected co-chair of the
U.S.
Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors
committed to fighting climate change, which together represent more
than half of the U.S. population and 60 percent of the national
economy.
In 2019, with bipartisan support of the Legislature, Governor Mills
enacted laws setting ambitious targets for transitioning to
renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These
include reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Maine by 45 percent by
2030 and 80 percent by 2050, and transitioning Maine’s electricity
use to 80 percent renewable energy by 2030.
Earlier this, with Maine experiencing high energy prices caused by
volatile global markets, Governor Mills
committed to accelerate Maine’s transition to using 100 percent
clean energy to 2040, a move that would ensure the expansion of
climate-friendly technologies in Maine – such as heat pumps – are
powered by clean electricity.
In 2019, Governor Mills also pledged Maine will become
carbon-neutral by 2045, a commitment which she signed into law in
2022.
The governor in 2021 also announced a new State program, the
Community Resilience Partnership, that was recommended by the
climate plan to help Maine communities reduce emissions, transition
to clean energy, and increase resilience to climate effects.
Since opening to enrollment in early 2022, 148 Maine cities, towns
and Tribal governments have chosen to participate in the Partnership
as individual entities or regional coalitions, and more than $3.7
million in grants have been awarded to 74 community projects across
the state.
Governor Mills has also committed to more than doubling Maine’s
clean energy jobs to 30,000 by 2030, and made several historic
investments in climate priorities, thanks to Maine’s strong economic
recovery and the
Maine Jobs
& Recovery Plan. These investments include:
$50 million for energy efficiency programs, such as
residential weatherization and heat pumps and other efficiency
upgrades for schools, towns, non-profits, and hospitality
businesses.
$27.5 million
for municipal grants to protect infrastructure from flooding, rising
sea levels, and extreme storms.
$8 million for
the Clean Energy Partnership, an initiative to grow the Maine’s
clean energy workforce and innovation economy.
For an updated guide
on climate incentives now available for Maine residents and
businesses, please visit
mainewontwait.org.
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