Installing a geothermal heating system in Massachusetts just got a lot cheaper. A new program overseen by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC) will provide $30 million in rebates over the next five years to fund the installation of clean, cost-effective heating and cooling systems in homes and businesses across the state.

Called the Clean Heating and Cooling program, this initiative focuses on increasing the number of buildings throughout Massachusetts that are heated by high-efficiency heat pumps that extract heat from either the air or the ground, as well as central biomass boilers, which burn renewable organic material rather than traditional fossil fuels. The rebates will range from $750 to $12,500, depending on the system installed, and will be available to homeowners and business owners in Massachusetts.

This rebate program includes geothermal systems, which draw heat from deep within the earth, where the temperature remains at a mild constant all year round. These systems do not require the direct burning of fossil fuels to operate and instead use only a small amount of electricity to run the heat pump. Not only do these systems have a lower environmental footprint, but they save homeowners money on fuel costs. According to Mass CEC, efficient heat pumps can provide the same amount of heat as a traditional electric heating system at a third of the cost and are cheaper to operate than oil-based heating systems.

“This funding will offer many Massachusetts residents access to efficient, clean options for heating and cooling that will in turn help the environment and provide consumers with the opportunity to save on energy costs,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton when the program was announced in August. “Over the life of the systems, clean energy technologies like heat pumps can result in significant energy cost savings for consumers, making them an attractive investment. MassCEC is putting this funding commitment in place to allow more consumers access these technologies to reduce their carbon footprint at lower up-front costs.”

In addition to lower energy costs, this five-year commitment will help the Commonwealth reach its climate change policy goal of a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
”MassCEC’s five-year commitment to renewable heating and cooling technology will broaden the choices available for homes and businesses,” said Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Judith Judson. “Soon DOER will also expand incentives for renewable thermal by adding these technologies to its regulation that provides market-valued certificates, as is currently provided for combined heat and power systems and renewable electricity.”
There are many benefits installing a geothermal system can bring a homeowner, from eliminating home heating fuel costs to a quieter system. Some data even suggests that green technologies, like geothermal heating systems, increase the value of a home.

Depending on technology type and system size, homeowners are eligible for rebates ranging from $750 for a single-room air-source heat pump to $12,500 for ground-source heat pumps that heat an entire building. The minimum rebate offered for a ground-sourced heat pump system is $4,000, a sizeable reduction in the installation costs. Low- to moderate-income customers who meet certain income thresholds may also be eligible for additional rebates beginning in October.

For more information about the MassCEC rebate program, go to www.masscec.com/programs/clean-heating-and-cooling or call 617-315-9357.

If you would like additional information about installing a geothermal system in your home or business, call Skillings & Sons at 1-800-441-6281. We have installed nearly 500 geothermal systems and have expert certified technicians available to answer your questions.