How to get a rebate for heat pump air conditioning

by: Vicente Arenas

Posted: Jul 27, 2023 / 08:00 PM MDT

Updated: Jul 28, 2023 / 06:10 AM MDT

DENVER (KDVR) — As temperatures continue to hover in the mid-90s, there are thousands of homes in Denver that don’t have an air conditioning system.

It’s the reason the City of Denver is offering a rebate program for a new energy-efficient heating system that could save families a lot of money to get their homes cooled.

There are tens of thousands of people who do not have air conditioning, so Denver is trying to help them stay safe during these hot days.

Arturo Bones Rodriguez’s home is not air-conditioned. He lives in Lakewood and showed FOX31 how he tries to keep his house cool.

“I keep it closed up during the day. Blackout drapes, close the windows, close the doors and it stays comfortable,” Rodriguez said.

Outside the home, there are tarps, umbrellas and just about anything he can find to cover up windows and skylights to keep the heat out.

The city’s program offers rebates through its Climate Action program for people who plan to use heat pumps to cool their homes.

“A heat pump is more efficient so that’s a real benefit as we try to hit our climate goals because we want to be a more resilient city,” Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency Deputy Director Liz Babcock said. “We want people to have cooling, but we also want to lower our energy use and lower our greenhouse gas emissions.”

A heat pump essentially pumps out the hot air from the home and blows cool air in return.

It can also heat the home in the winter.

Dan Esposito was one of the many people looking for a way to cool his home.

“Oh my gosh, it was scorching. When we had no AC in 2021, in June especially, it was really really hot,” Esposito said.

Esposito qualified for a hefty rebate from the city to install a heat pump system.

“We got our heat pump in 2022, right before that summer, and it’s just been a world of difference,” he said. “It keeps the house consistently at the temperature we want it, around 72.”

Esposito’s house is now cooled well.

Since April of 2022, the city’s office said it helped pay for 744 new pumps.

Others though are still toughing it out as many worry the climate crisis is expected to worsen.

The cost of a heat pump system can vary quite a bit, but it’s cheaper if you already have ducts and a system in your home.

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