A sizable portion of electricity bills is allocated for heating and cooling, which can be a significant burden for low-income households. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, one in four of these households puts upward of 15% of its income toward energy.
New York’s Ulster County is taking action to alleviate this burden. As the Times Union reported, the county legislature approved a $194,000 contract with the nonprofit Ulster County Community Action to assist low-income residents in Ulster and Sullivan Counties in replacing their outdated HVAC systems with electric heat pumps.
Able to keep indoor temperatures comfortable year-round, heat pumps are up to five times more efficient than traditional heating systems, which are heavily reliant on expensive fossil fuels like propane. All in all, upgrading to a heat pump is one of the best ways to drastically slash energy bills.
However, these next-gen heating and cooling wonders can be pricier to install than conventional HVAC systems — even though they provide long-term savings. This upfront cost can put them out of reach for households that could benefit the most from this financial boost.
Mitsubishi is a trusted brand that makes it easy for consumers to find the right heat pumps for their homes. It offers a variety of heat pumps, including cost-effective mini-split systems.
Now, Ulster County’s latest program will provide extra assistance to residents who own their mobile homes and earn up to 80% of the area’s median income.
While the heat pump rebate program remains intact through 2031 or until funding is exhausted, federal tax credits for heat pumps and many other green upgrades end Dec. 31.
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger told the Times Union that this sooner-than-expected expiration date for Inflation Reduction Act support made the future of the Mobile Home Resilience Grants program uncertain, pushing her to advocate for further investments in this and similar initiatives.
Carole Furman, Ulster County Community Action’s weatherization and EmPower+ services director, said she expects the new contract to assist at least 12 mobile homes whose furnaces are ready for replacement with the transition to heat pumps.
“It’s going to very much improve comfort because many mobile homes often don’t have cooling, and they’re often poorly insulated. With climate change [and] more days of extreme heat and humidity, it’s dangerous not to be able to cool off,” Metzger explained.
“This is a more affordable pathway for many folks who are living in mobile manufactured homes to upgrade their energy systems to make them cleaner, more reliable, resilient, and more affordable from month to month,” she added.
If you don’t live in Ulster County or are ineligible for program assistance, reaching out to a trusted brand — like Mitsubishi, which can connect you with vetted contractors in its network — before federal incentives expire could help you minimize your heat pump installation costs.
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