Part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to fight climate change is the installation of heat pumps in most new building construction starting in 2024.
And while some Republican politicians in the state have spoken out against the plan, saying it will make life more expensive and put too much stress on New York’s electric grid, the technology has its fans.
Heat pumps take heat from the environment and move it indoors to heat, or outdoors to cool. Diana Strablow, a former western New Yorker who now calls Saranac Lake her home, is going through her first winter with four mini split heat pumps providing heating and cooling in her condominium.
"It's rated to minus 15, and it kept the whole house warm and cozy," she said.
Strablow said the system worked better than expected as the temperatures plunged to 20 below and even lower.
She said her former electric baseboard heating had trouble keeping her home warm when the temperature was in the teens.
And as a bonus, Strablow said, her energy bills have been cut in half after installing the heat pumps.
"You're going to have a heating and cooling rather than installing a separate cooling system,” she said. “This is and all-in-one system. And you're doing a good thing for the for the planet.”
Strablow said a rebate from the state saved her $4,000, and a new federal rebate is also available that can cover the entire cost of installation in some cases.
Chris Raymond, deputy for housing rehabilitation programs at the nonprofit agency PathStone, said heat pumps generally run between $12,000 and $20,000.
