June 20, 2023

Source: Maryland Matters

Excerpt:

As Maryland moves gradually toward electrifying its building sector, a new study suggests pushing sales of heat pumps over central air conditioning could dramatically accelerate the decarbonization of homes in the state while boosting grid resilience, lowering technology and installation costs for consumers, and improving the health and safety of the nation’s housing stock.

A report out Tuesday from the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a national organization comprised of clean energy companies, electric utilities and technology companies, among others, found that by 2030, converting the sale of central AC units to heat pumps could decarbonize space heating in 73% of Maryland homes.

Maryland was one of five states the coalition studied, along with California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, in its new report, “Why cooling is key: How to decarbonize buildings with one weird trick.”

Read more: Report: State should promote heat pumps as a climate-friendly alternative to air conditioners