Alaska Heat Smart partnered with the Cold Climate Housing Research Center to coordinate heat pump purchases with over 100 Juneau residents. Heat pumps provide an extremely efficient form of electric heat perfectly suited for climates like Juneau’s. Replacing fossil fuel heaters with heat pumps reduces carbon emissions and saves money for most homeowners. Replacing electric baseboards with heat pumps reduces electric consumption by more than a factor of two and delays the need to expand electric infrastructure in the city. Inspired by “Solarize” campaigns, Thermalize Juneau manages the logistical challenges to heat pump purchase and installation and reduces costs through bulk purchasing. In addition to heat pump installation, Thermalize Juneau provides energy audits and support for improving insulation and reducing air infiltration. Kempy Energetics provides energy audits for the program that estimate the financial savings and emission reductions that will be achieved by each house considering a heat pump purchase. In addition, the energy audits rank potential energy efficiency retrofits and show how much fuel homeowners can expect to save for each retrofit with and without a heat pump.
