New Vermont Gas hybrid heating system switches between gas and electric - WCAX

New Vermont Gas hybrid heating system switches between gas and electric

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Cutting carbon without compromising heating or cooling-- that’s the goal of a new program from Vermont Gas Systems.

“To be less reliant on fossil gas is certainly important to us,” said Jen White of Burlington, one of a few dozen Vermont Gas Systems customers trying out a new heating system. “Hopefully, the impact on the environment is we’re going to be making less of a footprint.”

Vermont Gas is rolling out a new hybrid heating program-- a new cold climate heat pump supplies primary heat most of the year, while a gas boiler plays backup.

Their heat pump was installed in February, and as Vermont approaches summer, White and her family are looking forward to one feature.

“The cooling function, I think, feels like a key factor,” she said.

But when winter roars back and temperatures drop below freezing, the utility or customers can set the gas to kick in as an alternate option.

“The systems are designed to switch on and off automatically, depending on temperature. That’s attractive because it’s a no hands, no muss, no fuss,” said Grace Amao of Vermont Gas.

Vermont Gas sets that crossover point at about 30 degrees, though you can adjust it after the fact. They say at that 30 point, though, you are cutting your home heating emissions in half.

“Any VGS customer that has a centrally ducted heating system now and is in our service territory is eligible for a heat pump,” Amao said.

The utility says that’s an estimated 14,000 customers. Installation costs depend on your current heating system but generally runs between $5,000 and $8,000.

Amao says interest in the technology is growing, especially combined with the gas backup.

“As the technology continues to develop, the answer is often that a heat pump is the right application for Vermont,” Amao said.

White believes it is the right solution for her home. But she says as the seasons change, she has numbers left to crunch to determine the cost of cutting carbon.

“My hope would be that the gas bill goes down and I would imagine the electric bill will go up a little bit, and just comparing that and just seeing just what the impact on the wallet is,” White said.

Vermont Gas is also working on a calculator to help consumers better understand the costs versus savings of a hybrid heating system.

Click here for more on heat pumps.

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