With Elephant Energy’s help, one Massachusetts homeowner found warmth and savings even in sub-zero cold.
- The Challenge: After 20 years in their Lynn, MA home, Richard and Rosemary faced skyrocketing heating bills (up to $450/month) and inconsistent temperatures from their aging gas furnace.
- The Solution: Elephant Energy installed a perfectly-sized 3-ton cold climate heat pump, customized for New England winters.
- The Results: Richard’s electric bill dropped to $0 thanks to his heat pump and solar panels, with total monthly energy costs falling to just $40. Every room is now consistently cozy, even during sub-zero nor’easters.
- The Bottom Line: “My house is comfortable…and my wallet’s happy.” Richard went from worrying about winter heating costs to enjoying year-round comfort with virtually eliminated electric bills.
Richard and Rosemary fell in love with their dream home in Lynn, Massachusetts, the day they moved in back in 2003. Twenty years later, they still loved the house… but their heating bills and drafty rooms? Not so much.
“The heating and cooling system was twenty years old. The furnace was bad,” Richard explains. Room temperatures were all over the place. “And the electric and gas bills were astronomical.”
Richard knew that it was time for a change. So he turned to Elephant Energy to ensure his home stayed toasty all winter—without breaking the bank.
Starting the heat pump journey
Richard’s journey to creating a comfortable space inside his home started by working on the outside first.
Richard contacted a company that specializes in solar panels, and he got the ball rolling by having solar installed on his roof.
With that done, Richard was ready to start making upgrades to his home’s aging HVAC system, which was installed when the 2,100 square foot home was built in 2003.
An older heating system meant Richard and his family often dealt with temperature fluctuations as their unit kicked on and off. Coupled with high gas bills, switching to a heat pump felt like a no-brainer.
Rosemary, Richard’s wife, looked into installing an electric heat pump HVAC system instead of a gas-powered furnace. The idea of having a more comfortable and efficient home was something Richard couldn’t pass up.
“It was clear that heat pumps are the latest technology and the best option,” he explained. The couple was especially happy with how safe heat pumps are to use and operate. “Those big gas furnaces scare me a little bit,” Richard said with a laugh.
The next step was to work with someone who could install a heat pump HVAC system that would keep the house cozy all winter. Richard turned to Elephant Energy for help.
Finding the perfect heat pump HVAC solution with Elephant Energy
From the minute Richard got in touch with an Elephant Energy Home Comfort Advisor, he knew he was in good hands.
“They walked me through the whole process and helped me understand what we needed and how the process would work,” Richard recalls.
Elephant Energy’s guidance helped give Richard and Rosemary confidence that a heat pump would keep their home comfortable even in Massachusetts’ brutal winters.
Heat pumps work by transferring energy from the outside of your home to the inside in the form of heat. While the process is a little complicated, the results aren’t: heat pumps keep your house warm and toasty even in subzero temperatures.
To get the most out of a heat pump, it has to be the right fit for your home. That’s why Elephant Energy’s experts carefully sized Richard’s system—because a unit that’s too big can drive up costs and reduce efficiency, while one that’s too small may struggle in cold weather.
Elephant Energy uses its own proprietary sizing system, based on their 2,000+ installs and building on industry-standard guidelines to dial in the “goldilocks” fit. The result: a heat pump that’s energy-efficient, cost-effective, and performs reliably without compromise.
In Richard’s case, Elephant Energy’s Home Comfort Advisor ultimately recommended a 3-ton model. Not only was the unit the perfect size based on Elephant Energy’s calculations, but they also recommended a cold climate heat pump for his home. Cold climate heat pumps are specially designed to be efficient and effective at very low temperatures, so Richard’s home would stay cozy through even the coldest New England nights.
Find out more about finding the right heat pump for your home.
Elephant Energy makes installation a breeze
With the unit properly sized, all that was left was installation. Richard and Rosemary were impressed by how simple Elephant Energy made the whole process.
“When Elephant Energy came to install our heat pump, they were fantastic,” Richard explained. “The technicians were patient, they took my questions, and they explained how a heat pump moves heat differently than a furnace,” Richard said.
But the installers’ willingness to go above and beyond to ensure Richard was comfortable with his new HVAC system made an even bigger impression.
Technicians showed Richard the ropes of how to make sure his system was keeping his home at the perfect temperature. And when Richard and Rosemary had an issue with their system’s settings over the weekend, a technician was quick to respond and answer their questions.
For Richard and his family, the whole heat pump installation process with Elephant Energy was “a really great experience,” start to finish. “They were professional and thorough, and they don’t disappear after they’re done installing your HVAC. I know that I can reach out months later if I have a question and they’ll help me.”
Elephant Energy’s long-term support for their customers really stuck with Richard.
“They aren’t just going to take your money, do the job, and skiddaddle,” he explains. “If I hadn’t already, I would give Elephant Energy another five stars.”
The energy bill results Richard wasn’t expecting, thanks to pairing his heat pump with solar
Richard was thrilled with how well his heat pump performed through the winter, especially during the nor’easters as temperatures fell below zero during a January cold snap. He was amazed to find that every room in his house was consistently cozy—a big departure from his experience with his old, gas-powered system.
“With my gas furnace, you’d get home, crank it up, and wait for all the rooms to get warm,” Richard remembers. “But heat pumps work differently. They balance the air in your house so all the rooms get warm at the same time. That way, all the rooms are comfortable, 24/7.”
Richard was incredibly happy with his new, cozier normal. Long gone were the pesky cold spots in his home. But he was still a little worried about having high energy costs long-term.
With his old gas furnace, Richard’s utility bills were as high as $450 during months when he had to keep the heat running constantly. His new heat pump ran a lot during the winter, too, and he wasn’t sure how that would affect his energy bills going forward.
Would the cost savings he’d hoped for become a reality?
When his electric and gas bills arrived at the end of February, Richard was astonished. “The thought of having my bills go down was really exciting. But when I opened my first National Grid electric bill, it was like I couldn’t believe my eyes. Seeing $0 for the electric bill…it was incredible.”
Richard went from paying hundreds of dollars a month to just $40 a month for gas to run his water heater and dryer. “Every single month now, my electric bill is zero. So that is phenomenal.”
Discounted Heat Pump Electricity Rates for Massachusetts Residents Can Bump Up Savings
Federal tax credits and Mass Save® rebates for home electrification encouraged Richard to start his energy efficiency journey.
But Massachusetts residents will still be able to increase their savings, even without federal tax credits.
Three of Massachusetts’ major utility companies—Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil—have announced that they’ll give households using heat pumps a discount on their electricity rates this winter.
And that’s a big deal. It means homeowners and renters could save an average of $540 each winter.
“It’s just been a very good thing.”
For Richard, heat pump installation was just the beginning of his connection with Elephant Energy. He knows he can count on Elephant Energy now and in the future for all of his home electrification questions and needs.
“They don’t just do the project and then disappear. Should you have follow-up questions two months down the road, I know I can reach out and get an answer.”
Now, Richard hopes to help his neighbors achieve improved comfort, too, in their homes and their wallets.
When asked what he would tell his neighbors about switching to a heat pump, Richard grins. “Don’t be afraid of the heat pump thing. If installed right, you’re going to be happy,” he said. “My house is comfortable…and my wallet’s happy.”
Ready to make the heat pump switch? Connect with Elephant Energy’s Home Comfort Advisor team to get the process started today.