Overcoming Home Repair Barriers To Enable Heat Pump Installations

August 12, 2024

Franklin Energy implements the Home Energy Savings program in collaboration with Marin Clean Energy (MCE), offering no-cost home energy upgrades to moderate-income, single family households through a direct-install model, including heat pumps for both water heating and space heating and cooling. However, over the years, they observed an alarming trend: many prospective participants couldn’t take advantage of the program because heat pump installations often triggered costly repairs or electrical upgrades that homeowners couldn’t afford.

In 2022, Franklin Energy was awarded a TECH Clean California Quick Start Grant to address this barrier. The Quick Start Grant supplemented the Home Energy Savings program by covering expenses for repairs necessitated by heat pump installations. Leveraging the structure of the existing direct-install program helped keep administrative and labor costs low, which allowed the project to surpass the initial goal of installing heat pumps in 20 homes. Ultimately, 57 heat pumps were installed across 47 homes.

This grant provided valuable insights that can inform the design of future energy programs. The project’s findings include strategies that reduce costs, streamline program administration, and enhance customer satisfaction. By completing the necessary repairs, Franklin Energy gathered crucial data with implications for cost management and resource allocation, including methods to avoid comprehensive panel replacements. With sufficient funding, the approach used in the Quick Start Grant holds strong potential for broader applications across the MCE service area and other direct-install programs. The details of these findings could be beneficial to shape policy and program design moving forward.

To learn more about this Quick Start Grant, read the full report.