"My AC and my furnace were 22 years old," he said. "So, we kind of knew when we bought the house that we were going to need to buy a new HVAC system."
Rather than replace his heating system now and an air conditioner later, he decided to replace both with a whole-home system that tackles both heating and cooling all in one. Following advice from the Air Source Heat Pump Collaborative to gather multiple quotes, Josh found the same topic coming up in every conversation. "All of the contractors kind of highlighted the fact that there was an incentive from the gas utility, an incentive from the electric utility, and then there's a tax credit available." https://www.mnashp.org/incentives-rates-financing.
With all eligible incentives and rebates combined, the math became clear. "Once you claim all these incentives, you get something that's cheaper than a regular furnace and an AC," he said. "It basically costs half as much to operate it." Make sure to check with your utility providers for current incentives.
Josh’s heat pump was installed in November, right before the cold set in, and the difference showed up immediately. "It was put into heating mode, and we recognized right away that it was more comfortable than the furnace it replaced," he said. Part of the difference comes down to how the system runs. "The heat pump runs for long periods of time. For us, what that means is the temperature is uniform throughout the house and relatively steady, especially compared to the furnace that it replaced. "With the heat pump, it's just always the same temperature, and it's always just comfortable."
Looking back at the incentives that made it possible, Josh doesn't second-guess his choice. "The incentives all stacked to give us basically an HVAC system that was cheaper than a furnace and an AC, so it was an easy decision."