Given the increased cost of installing heat pumps compared to natural gas furnaces or forced air conditioning systems, it shouldn’t be surprising that the city Board of Public Utilities’ heat pump rebate program was so popular.

But it really is unexpected that the city’s program ran out of money halfway through the year. Heat pumps are one of the state’s favored solutions to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in homes throughout the state because they require 25% of energy to be powered by electricity while the remaining 75% is acquired naturally from the environment.

Dave Leathers, BPU general manager, said he wasn’t surprised the BPU’s rebate program was so successful, saying it may have pushed city residents to invest in a technology they hadn’t otherwise been considering.

“It was a pretty aggressive incentive program,” Leathers said. “The good news is there seems to be interest in the community, and we got that in a six-month period.”

There has been a lot of doubt statewide that the state can meet its climate program goals, in part because heat pumps can be more expensive than other heating options like baseboard electric heat or natural gas. The BPU’s experience shows that there is interest – but only if consumers aren’t footing the entire bill for a more environmentally friendly and more expensive heating source.

The transition away from fossil fuels in home heating may happen more quickly than originally thought. But the public investment to make that transition happen is going to be massive — and unfortunately that isn’t likely to change.