Ready for an HVAC upgrade? Then you're ready for a heat pump.
If you're thinking about a heat pump, here's what you should consider:
Is a heat pump right for you?
Whether or not a heat pump is right for your home depends a lot on your current heating and cooling system and what’s important to you. So let’s figure it out. If you want to:
Save money on your utility bills
A heat pump is the best choice if your current HVAC system is fueled by oil or electrical resistance (electric baseboard heat, for example). If you have natural gas, then a heat pump won’t save you money so long as the cost of natural gas is lower than the cost of electricity. But regardless of what kind of system you have, a heat pump is a no-brainer if you have solar panels: Your panels will power your heat pump, and that means a very low (or nonexistent!) heating/cooling bill.
Take advantage of Mass Save rebates
Now is the perfect time for Massachusetts homeowners to install a heat pump and benefit from the rebates and tax credits that come along with making your home more energy efficient. Mass Save™ offers cash rebates of up to $10,000 for switching to a heat pump or up to $16,000 if you are income-eligible. They also offer 0% financing options.
Get year-round comfort
Heat pumps are an all-in-one solution for heating and cooling. They are a great choice if you’re ready to swap your window ACs for central air while also upgrading your heat. You can either upgrade your entire heating and cooling system or keep your current heating system and add cooling with a heat pump.
Lower your climate impact
A heat pump is right for you regardless of your current HVAC system. Once they’re widely adopted, heat pumps will be our #1 weapon in the fight against climate change — they use less energy than fossil fuel-based systems and have the potential to be powered by renewable energy sources.
Replace an aging HVAC system
A heat pump is almost always the best choice if your current system is broken, on its last legs, or is 10 years old or older. Thanks to the heat pump rebates from the Sponsors of Mass Save™, upgrading your system is often more cost-effective than continuing to repair an older system.
Improve indoor air quality
A heat pump results in healthier air than gas- or oil-run systems for many reasons: You’re not burning fossil fuels and polluting your air with combustion byproducts; the filters remove dust, pollen, smoke, and other impurities; and you can even find models that let you control humidity levels.
What kind of heat pump is best for your home?
Whether you have a single room you want to make more comfortable or a large house with legacy HVAC systems you’d like to upgrade, we’ll design the ideal heat pump setup for your home. There are a few different kinds.
Ducted
If your home is heated by an oil- or gas-powered furnace that blows warm air out of vents around your house, then you have what’s called ductwork. And if you have ductwork, then a ducted heat pump system is probably best for your home. In these systems, an air handler takes the heated or cooled air from the heat pump and blows it into the ducts and, ultimately, your rooms. (If you’re not sure and your basement is unfinished, then go down there and look up — if you see box-shaped metal tubes that attach to your furnace, then you have ductwork.)
Ductless
If you don’t have existing ductwork or your ducts are in rough shape, no problem. Some of the most popular heat pumps are ductless systems called mini-splits. This is a great option for multi-family houses, smaller houses, older houses, and those who want to add air conditioning to their existing heating system. They’re also a great option if you have an oil boiler that heats your home via baseboards.
Hybrid
Sometimes the best system for a homeowner combines ducted and ductless heat pumps in a hybrid approach. Thanks to the flexible modularity of these fantastic machines, if that’s what would work best for your home and your needs, that’s what Forge will deliver.
How do you pick a heat pump installer?
Heat pumps need to be properly designed and installed to operate at maximum efficiency. Make sure you are working with an installer that offers multiple brands, does an ACCA-approved Manual J to size your system, and visits your home at some point in the process. Here’s what sets us apart at Forge:
Quality
Quality system design and installation is crucial for the health of your home. We’re heat pump experts because they are our sole focus. We’ve designed and installed every kind of system, and our team is trained in house, so we know how skilled and capable they are. We will always visit your home before the install and do ACCA-approved Manual J and Manual D calculations to ensure your system is correctly sized and scoped.
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Value
Forge delivers value for your money: All of our HVAC techs and electricians are employed by Forge, which means we don’t have to subcontract out (and then mark up) our heat pump installations.
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Customer experience
If you’ve had major work done on any of your home’s systems, you know how stressful it can be. Well, not with Forge. We’ll answer all your questions, handle all the scheduling, deal with the permits and Mass Save, and keep you in the loop at all times.
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Here’s what our customers say about Forge.
What should you expect from the process?
When you work with Forge, we do all the work – from educating you on the options for your home, to securing the permits, to the final heat pump installation. Our extensive and unrivaled experience enables us to work quickly and diligently so you can start enjoying your new HVAC system ASAP. Here's what we do:
STEP 1
Learn about your home
The Forge team will learn about your home, your current heating/cooling system, and you what you're looking for. Depending on your home and preferences, our Home Comfort Advisor will either do an in-person site visit or a virtual "visit" to collect this info. We'll also educate you on heat pumps, their benefits, and why upgrading might make the most sense for your home. In order to size your system properly, we always do an ACCA-approved Manual J and a Manual D if your system is ducted. Plus, we'll do a load calculation to make sure your electrical service can handle your new heat pump.
STEP 2
Scope your project & design your system
We take all of the information we collected about your home and do an initial scope of your project. This scope includes the type of heat pump system we recommended, details of the work we'll do, and a quote. Once you've decided to move forward, our expert team of HVAC and electrical designers will take over. They'll do a final site visit and finalize the design of your system. (Things like defining the exact locations of vents or confirming you still want the bedroom mini-split installed above the desk.)
STEP 3
Install your heat pump
Next, we open permits and schedule your project. The average heat pump installation takes 4-5 days, but every home is different so there are many exceptions to that. If your system is super simple, it could take as few as 1-2 days. If it's larger or more complex, the install could take 2 weeks or more. We'll set your expectations ahead of time and work with your schedule.
STEP 4
Apply for your rebate (so you don't have to)
When your installation is complete, we'll schedule a final inspection with your town/city, close out the open permits, and send you a final invoice. Once you pay that invoice, we'll be able to apply for your Mass Save rebate on your behalf. Rebate processing usually takes 6-8 weeks from the time of application.
Who you'll be working with:
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Our Massachusetts service area
Don’t see your town listed? No worries — just get in touch with us using the form below for the very latest news on our ever-expanding service area.
Get in touch.
Need a new HVAC system? Ready to upgrade to a heat pump? Want a quote? Not sure what you need but want to learn more about working with Forge? Whatever your question, the answer is just a simple form away. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Frequently asked questions. And answers.
You’ll find at least a handful of models that will work well in your home and meet your heating and cooling needs.
But even if you identify what you think is the perfect heat pump, it might not be available when you want to install it. Or it might not be eligible for some rebate that you want. Or the installer offers an equally good option for a much better price. Or they might prefer to work with a different brand and will offer a better warranty for that equipment. It’s much more important to have a great installer and a well-designed HVAC system than to have a particular brand or model of heat pump. If you keep up with basic maintenance, there are usually any number of heat pumps that will serve you well for many years.
An inverter, or variable speed, heat pump should take your heating and cooling system to the next level. Here’s why:
- Inverter heat pumps can keep temperatures and humidity levels steady. Usually, HVAC systems are either fully on or completely off, but inverter heat pumps constantly adjust to maintain the precise temperature they are set at.
- Low fan speeds and an emphasis on quiet design mean they are quieter than most other HVAC systems, especially window AC units.
- You don’t have to turn your thermostat down at night to save energy. High-performance heat pumps work most efficiently when you leave the thermostat alone.
- HVAC systems of all kinds that constantly move air through a properly maintained filter remove a lot of dust and particulates from indoor air while keeping humidity levels steady.
- When heat pumps don’t result in greater comfort, it’s not the heat pump, but the way it was designed or installed — or some other factor, like having the right kind and amount of insulation — that’s the culprit.
Heat pumps can have an enormous impact on reducing our carbon emissions, so the federal government and several states (with Massachusetts leading the charge) now offer huge incentives for installing them. That’s the main reason interest in heat pumps has reached an all-time high in the US. Here are a few more:
- Heat pumps both heat and cool your home, usually using a lot less energy than inefficient old air conditioners, boilers, furnaces, and electric heaters.
- They’re incredibly versatile and can heat and cool your entire house, a single room, or anything in between. They can work with ducts, without ducts, and sometimes even with hot-water radiators.
- They can be installed just about anywhere — virtually any single-family house and many townhouses, condos, and apartments.
- A heat pump can be used with or without a backup system. The best choice for you will depend on your home and the cost of energy where you live.
- Compared to other HVAC systems, heat pumps usually cost less to operate, plus you’ll likely be eligible for thousands of dollars in rebates and tax credits.
- Heat pumps and solar are a match made in energy heaven. With a large enough number of solar panels, you might never see another heating or cooling bill!