City’s “HeatSmart CoolSmart” Program Ends Soon; Residents & Businesses Encouraged to Sign Up by February 15

The City of Somerville’s HeatSmart CoolSmart program ends soon, and residents and can sign up through February 15, 2018 for the program which could reduce utility bills and increase a building’s efficiency. This limited time program aims to increase awareness and educate residents about air source heat pumps, while encouraging adoption among Somerville property owners. Thursday, February 15 is the deadline to sign a contract to install the system at a later date.

Interested property owners are encouraged to attend the final HeatSmart CoolSmart Workshop, “Heat Pumps 101,” on Tuesday, February 6 at 9 New Washington Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and a presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. Learn how heat pumps work, hear from residents about their experience with heat pumps, and have your questions answered by the installers.

More than 100 property owners signed up to complete no-cost, no obligation site visits through the program and more than 30 have committed to install this highly efficient technology by signing contracts with either one of the City’s selected installers; N.E.T.R. and New England Ductless.

Heat pumps can increase a building’s energy-efficiency and reduce utility bills. The cold climate air source heat pumps offered through HeatSmart CoolSmart can provide both efficient heating and cooling at special discounted prices.

Resident Testimonial

Somerville resident Mary Mangan recently installed a heat pump in her living room through the program. Mary installed the heat pump as a secondary heating system to her natural gas furnace. Mary’s main motivation was to make her home more energy-efficient and decrease her carbon footprint, but first, she wanted to understand how efficient heat pumps could be at cold temperatures.

Mary spoke with an installer at N.E.T.R., the company that installed the heat pump, who told Mary that even though it was -7 degrees outside, the heat pump worked perfectly fine. “That gave me a lot of comfort,” says Mary. The unit Mary had installed can efficiently heat down to -5 degrees, and provide heat down to -10 degrees. To learn more about Mary and her experience with the HeatSmart CoolSmart program, watch Mary’s video here.

More information is available at www.somervillema.gov/hscs or by calling Christine Andrews at 617-625-6600 ext. 2567 or emailing candrews@somervillema.gov.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.