Ductless Heat Pumps for Residential Customers in Connecticut

In the 1970s a new HVAC system was designed and developed in Japan—the inverter driven ductless heat pump (DHP) 1 . Today, almost all residential HVAC systems in Asia and the majority of systems in Europe are ductless. DHPs account for only one percent of the U.S. residential HVAC market and have primarily been installed in multi-family homes. Approximately 100,000 residential customers in Connecticut heat with electric resistance heat. A disproportionate number of electric heat customers are limited-income and face extreme hardships, especially during the winter months as Connecticut’s electricity rates are the highest in the continental United States. In 2007, a pilot was conducted in Connecticut and Massachusetts to test the feasibility of using DHPs in addition to electric resistance heat. DHPs were installed at 144 sites where electric heat was the primary heating source. In 2009, a follow-up evaluation was completed that quantified the energy and demand savings impacts through on-site metering. The metering measured the electricity used by the entire home, DHP and baseline electric heaters. A concurrent qualitative evaluation captured participant and vendor perspectives on DHPs, including participant acceptance, comfort and reliability. The quantitative evaluation estimated the installed DHPs demonstrated savings of over 2,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh), or $400 annually per residence during the heating season and significantly reduced summer air conditioning electrical consumption. Additionally, over 85 percent of participants were satisfied with the quality of the heating and cooling. Based on the results of the 2007 pilot, Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) program administrators 2 have developed an aggressive DHP initiative to target electric resistance heat participants. The initiative includes increased participant incentives, contractor training, and upstream negotiated cooperative promotions with DHP manufacturers.