Date
Monday, November 13, 2023
Time
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Name
Innovative Strategies to Address Behavioral Barriers to Heat Pump Adoption on a Local Level
Session ID BECC
A3 - Lightning: Accelerating the Home Electrification Journey
Track
Technology
Description

Heat pumps are being touted as one of the keystone technologies in the efforts to electrify and decarbonize buildings. Utility programs in many states offer generous rebates to address the high first costs that constitute a significant barrier to customer adoption. These help, but other efforts are needed to change the hearts and minds necessary to transform the market. Customers still have many questions and concerns about heat pumps; these include how they work, what they cost to operate, and whether heat pumps are suitable for their area and particular home. Large scale efforts are underway around the United States to address these knowledge gaps, but local efforts are using innovative techniques to educate customers while also addressing some of the more subtle barriers to heat pump adoption. In particular, local outreach efforts are building confidence in the technology by leveraging trusted sources of (impartial) information on heat pumps including local new media outlets, grassroots organizations, and neighbor-to-neighbor outreach efforts. Local organizations are uniquely positioned to understand the concerns of their communities and speak directly to them through sources that have local credibility. This talk will highlight several particularly compelling examples of local efforts to promote heat pumps around the country (and beyond) and explain how they address the behavioral factors (e.g., trust, uncertainty, risk) that hinder market uptake. The talk will share the key behavioral barriers that must be targeted, and provide examples of options for how that’s being done in order to drive transformation in the residential heat pump market.

Supporting Document 1