After installing air source heat pumps in his own home, Justin Wadsworth testifies to their comfort and efficiency!
The homeowner and RYCOR Comfort Specialist Mike Ihnachak discuss the installation process, comfort of heat pumps to heat and cool your home, how to finance them, and other benefits.
From Gas to Hydroelectric: How One Mom is Looking Out for Her Child and the Planet
Reduced Carbon Footprint: Minimizing environmental impact is integral to the client’s lifestyle; switching from an oil furnace to a greener heat pump system allows them to contribute less to global climate change.
Increased Comfort:The client is able to more effectively control and maintain the temperature in their home year-round.
Cost Savings: By switching off of their oil furnace, the client no longer needs to worry about fluctuating oil prices; this also helps them achieve their ethical goal of “divesting as much as [they] can from the oil industry.”
Concerned for her 8 year old son’s future in a world wracked by climate change, Rachel C. relocated her “values forward” family to Delhi to live more sustainably. She purchased an older home with an oil furnace and no central air. Feeling this outdated system was at-odds with her goal of leading a greener lifestyle (and failing to provide sufficient comfort to her new home), Rachel attended a HeatSmart Southern Tier webinar hosted by NEST to learn more about heat pump technology and get connected with local NYSERDA approved installers.
Rachel’s family ultimately worked with the team at NP Environmental to add an air source heat pump system to their hydroelectric homestead. Rachel was “pleasantly surprised by how lovely [the installers] were as human beings coming into [her] home.” Since the completion of the project, she has noted both significant improvements to her home comfort during the winter and summer months as well as savings on her monthly energy bill.
Participation in HeatSmart has helped Rachel C. increase the sustainability of her home and confidently look out for her son’s future.
Rachel C. – HeatSmart Participant – Delaware County
How Heat Pumps Helped One Pet Owner Keep Their Animals (and Themself) Safer at Home
Installer Relationship: The client found the RYCOR team to be patient, accommodating, and knowledgeable: “I would recommend them any day of the week, they were really outstanding.”
Fast Installation: The client was appreciative of the ease of the installation process, which only took “one day– and it wasn’t even a full day.”
Rebates & Tax Incentives: The client saved over $10,000 by taking advantage of unit rebates and New York State tax incentives, which made the switch to a greener and stronger home heating and cooling system a reality.
Turbulent temperatures were getting to be too much for one aging Delaware County resident and their animals: “my pets are starting to get old and don’t tolerate the heat very well– I’m starting to get old and don’t tolerate the heat that well.” Their fairly large home was heated by propane and did not have central air conditioning, making it uncomfortably hot in the summer months and uncomfortably cool in the winter months. “We needed something else.”
The Delaware County resident had known that switching to a heat pump system could improve the comfort and safety of their home, and worked with NeST installer partner RYCOR to add four air source heat pumps to their home and make the transition from gas to electric.
The resident’s new heat pump system has given them complete control over the temperature of their home year-round, which allows them and their pets to lead healthier and more comfortable lives. They are also confident that they “will definitely save on propane,” and were pleasantly surprised by the aesthetics of their heat pumps, which “don’t look so bad” and are notably quiet.
Overall, this Delaware County resident was “extremely happy” with the process and outcome their home improvement project.
HeatSmart Participant – Delaware County
Leading By Example: How One Elected Official Increased Home Comfort & Helped His Community
Sense of Community: The client feels like they are making a positive difference in their community, helping them feel more connected to their neighbors and township.
Energy Efficiency: The client cares about the environment and wants to ensure they do their part to make the world a better place. Installing a heat pump system has helped them feel better about their environmental impact.
Increased Comfort: For the first time since purchasing their home, the client is able to effectively regulate indoor temperatures during the summer and winter months, which greatly increases their in-home comfort throughout the year.
Wayne Marshfield is the Town Supervisor in Hamden, a municipality participating in Clean Energy Communities, a NYSERDA program that incentives individuals to better their communities by switching to greener technologies. Wayne wanted to lead his constituents by example through this program, and worked with NeST installer partner NP Environmental to make it happen.
The Marshfield family added five air source heat pumps to their mid-size home with an NP Environmental contractor, and were impressed by the quality of work delivered by the installer: “we thought quite a bit of him,” he “really cared about his work” and “did an excellent job.” Wayne has been impressed by the quality of the product, too, which “allows [his family] to have air conditioning along with more efficient heating” for year-round comfort and savings.
Although the system was a bit pricier than he had anticipated, Wayne feels good about his investment. “It’s the wave of the future to me, energy efficiency, I had the money so I did it.” It also helps him feel like he is making a difference in his local and global community. “I’m concerned about our environment,” Wayne said. “To make anything in this world environmentally better is a big plus too.”
Wayne Marshfield -HeatSmart Participant – Delaware County
From Wood and Liquid Propane Boiler to Multi-Zone ASHP with Heat Pump Water Heater
Increased Home Safety: Through space heaters and a wood stove, the client’s home was exposed to many fire risks. With a heat pump, the client has experienced the heating they desire with added safety for their home.
Comfort and Convenience: The client’s heat pump has brought them instantaneous, even distribution of heating and cooling, with little noise. The client gets to control their system to fit their exact needs for each room.
Reduced Number of Energy Sources: Previously, the client used several different types of energy to heat and cool their home. The hassle of having to get fuel deliveries and upkeep the supply of each fuel source was eliminated with the air-source heat pump.
When Kristina realized her old propane boiler needed a revamp, she decided it was time to switch to a safer, more comfortable, and environmentally friendly system. As a participant in our HeatSmart program, she got the ideal pairing with NP Environmental to install a multi-zone air-source heat pump and air-source heat pump water heater.
Kristina’s experience with the installer was professional and polite. She found the process seamless, with everything mapped out together and little extra decision-making needed on her end.
After installation, Kristina noticed an immediate increase in comfort and convenience by eliminating her need for space heaters and firewood and replacing it with an even distribution of clean heating and cooling. She continues to learn more about how her system can fit her needs and looks forward to cost savings in the coming months.
Kristina Zill – HeatSmart Participant – Delaware County
How All-Electric House With A Woodstove Was Transformed With Insulation and an ASHP
Reduced Carbon Emissions: It is very important to the client’s lifestyle to minimize their environmental footprint. By switching to a heat pump, they play a part in helping the environment by reducing carbon emissions from their home.
Increased Convenience: As the clients grow older, they noticed their woodstove required lots of upkeep and work. With a heat pump, they are able to spend less mental and physical energy maintaining their system.
Greatly Improved Comfortability: The clients have experienced a noticeable change in their home comfortability. Between heating, cooling, zone control, and dehumidifying settings, their system meets all of their comfort needs.
Ingrid and Gerald wanted an alternative to their high-maintenance wood stove, so when they found out about HeatSmart from their church bulletin, they knew they needed to take part in the program.
As the first step towards home improvements, they got an energy audit from The Insulation Man and discovered their home needed better insulation. They embarked on a joint project with The Insulation Man and Air Source LLC to improve their home performance and get a heat pump, having found both installer partners to be helpful and professional.
In particular, the installers helped to walk Ingrid and Gerald through NYSERDA and NYSEG incentives, allowing them to get funding for half of the insulation work and significant incentives toward the heat pump. They encourage others to look into incentives, as it highly impacted their ability to get the work done.
Ingrid and Gerald – HeatSmart Participants – Town of Nanticoke
From a Pellet Stove and Oil Furnace to a Fully-Insulated Home With an ASHP
Cost Savings by Switching Off Oil: Previously, the client used an oil furnace to heat their home, which always fluctuated in cost with oil prices. With a heat pump, the client has long-term savings to look forward to.
Quieter Home: The client was surprised by how quiet the heat pump system is. They no longer have the loud sounds of the furnace kicking on, making their home much more peaceful.
Ease and Speed of the Process: The client wished they had known beforehand just how easy and fast the process would be. Our HeatSmart installer partners work quickly and professionally to get projects done efficiently.
After Denise’s son had an ASHP installed in his home and saw many benefits in terms of comfort, cost savings, and convenience, Denise knew she wanted a heat pump for her own home.
Heat pumps need well-insulated homes to work efficiently. Through the HeatSmart program, we have competitively-selected home performance and heat pump installers that collaborate often. Denise was paired up with The Insulation Man and Air Source LLC, who worked together seamlessly to improve Denise’s home by adding insulation and an ASHP.
Denise – HeatSmart Participant – Sidney Center, NY
How They Transitioned off of a Wood Stove After 26 Years to a Brand-New ASHP
Better Fit for Their Home: Previously, the clients used a wood stove to heat their home. They knew little about heat pumps, but they were happy to discover that by transitioning off of wood heat that their home is now a better fit for them.
Incredible Installer Partner: The clients found Dave and his team from AirSource LLC to be so knowledgable, professional, and careful. They are a large factor in what made their heat pump installation experience great.
Increased Comfort: By removing the need to tend fire wood, the clients have a more comfortable living situation. Plus, their heat pump gives them the added bonus of air conditioning, which is something they never had before.
Henry and Anita heated their home for many years with a wood stove heating system without any alternative backup. As they got older, they encountered obstacles that made it difficult to deal with wood. Initially, they assumed they would get an oil furnace, but were put off by the structural alterations and compromises that would be required for its installation. Then, they attended a HeatSmart event held by NEST at the Bohemian Moon and were introduced to the wonderful world of heat pumps.
Henry and Anita were paired with AirSource LLC and Dave Tierno as their installer for the project. Their admiration for Dave’s work was unmistakable, stating that he was amazing, knowledgeable, and responsive. Henry and Anita were pleased with Dave and his team’s ability to install the heat pump without any significant disruption to their home. They were particularly surprised that ductwork could be connected to the heat pump in a minimally intrusive way. It was a seamless and elegant experience from start to finish.
Also, Dave made the process of accessing incentives for the heat pump, like tax credits, simple and easy. Since reflecting on other experiences with installers, Henry and Anita gave the HeatSmart experience with AirSource LLC a gold star, and hope others are able to experience it too.
Henry and Anita – HeatSmart Participants – Chenango County
From Liquid Propane Boiler to Insulated Home with Multi-Zone ASHP & Heat Pump Water Heater
Increased Energy Efficiency: With the addition of insulation and a heat pump, there has been a noticeable difference in the client’s energy efficiency. Their home uses less energy but feels significantly more comfortable.
Simple and Adaptable: The client’s heat pump is very adaptable and can be programmed to fit the needs of every room in their home. All options for heating and cooling their home are available with one click of a button.
Generous LMI Programs: The client qualified for a low-to-moderate income program that covered the costs of their energy upgrades. While this program is no longer available, there are other generous programs that are influential in enabling LMI households to access heat pumps and insulation.
Patricia was motivated by the goal of making her home more energy efficient. When clean energy caught her eye in a promotion from Walton’s The Reporter, she did more research on heat pumps and saw how efficient, low maintenance, and long-lasting they are. She also qualified for the previously available NYSEG LMI adder program which fully-covered project costs and influenced her ability to get energy upgrades.
Patricia was unsure what the process would be like, as she didn’t know anyone who had a heat pump. Thankfully, the installer partners at NP environmental took the time to answer any questions she had. Patricia appreciated that the installers worked out the plan that was best for her home, making the process very adaptable.
Through this project, Patricia now has a more reliable HVAC system. She feels like she’s getting to know and liking her heat pump more and more every day. Patricia has been so content with her experience that she does personal referrals to NP Environmental, and hopes her experience helps to inform other people to explore clean energy.
Patricia – Delaware County
