Maine will receive between $45 million and $72 million in federal funds to continue the state’s efforts to encourage homeowners and landlords to install heat pumps.
Maine is one of five states to receive $450 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, the governor’s office announced.
“Maine’s nation-leading transition to heat pumps is creating good-paying jobs, curbing our reliance on expensive and harmful fossil fuels, and cutting costs for Maine families,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement.
In 2023, Mills announced that Maine surpassed its goal of installing 100,000 new heat pumps two years ahead of schedule. She then set a new goal of an additional 175,000 heat pumps in Maine by 2027.
Despite the adoption of the new heating and cooling systems, Maine continues to be the most heating fuel-dependent state in the country “with 56% of households reliant on delivered fuel as their primary heating source,” according to the governor’s office.
The new federal funds will pay for a multistate proposal to drive heat pump sales, train contractors and encourage low- and moderate-income households to make the switch.
In addition to Maine, the program includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
The funds flowing to Maine will be administered by Efficiency Maine, which offers rebates and discounts to residents who install heat pumps.
“For the good of the Maine economy, and in order to meet the ambitious goals of Maine’s climate action plan, it is imperative that we grow our programs to scale up the adoption of heat pump technology,” said Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine.