A recent Washington Post article about the heat pump boom in Maine (published in the Press Herald on Feb. 8) pointed out that the oil industry has been promoting misleading claims about heat pumps. That’s not surprising, considering they want people to stick with oil and gas.

One claim is that heat pumps aren’t good in colder climates like Maine. That was certainly put to the test on Feb. 3 and 4, when we had sub-zero temperatures and gusting winds. For the most part, heat pumps performed quite well. While some found that heat pumps struggled to keep their homes warm overnight, others were able to stay comfortable.

I experienced this firsthand; I had a heat pump installed in my Portland condo on Feb. 3. The temperature inside dropped to 64 overnight, but that was in part because the air vents weren’t at the best setting. By mid-morning on Feb. 4, though, the heat pump was doing well and keeping my home comfortable.

The other misleading claim about heat pumps is that they’re not very green if they use electricity generated by fossil fuels. But even then, heat pumps are so efficient that they’re still better environmentally than oil or natural gas. And if you can power heat pumps with solar, directly or from a community solar farm, then they’re completely green.

Personally, I’m excited to move off natural gas. Despite what the oil companies say, I think heat pumps will work well for Mainers – and they’ll certainly help with Maine’s climate goals.

Erica Bartlett
Portland

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