"When Derek Eder started looking for an all-electric heating system for his 100-year-old home in Oak Park, some local furnace installers refused to work with him, saying the technology wasn't up to the challenge of a Midwestern winter. Other installers told him they'd do the job, but only if he invested in a natural gas backup system for very cold days. But Eder, who was trying to go all-electric at home to fight climate change, pressed on, eventually finding a local company that was happy to replace his gas furnace with two high-efficiency electric heat pumps and an all-electric backup system."
"Already popular in the South and parts of the Southwest, heat pumps are now making headway in Chicago and other subzero cities, thanks to better cold-weather technology developed in Europe and Asia, as well as concerns about climate change and financial incentives from utilities and the federal government. The heating and cooling industry doesn't release state or regional sales data, but Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC U.S., a major heat-pump supplier, told the Tribune that heat pump sales in the Chicago area market have increased by double digits year over year for the past 10 years. In 2023, the supplier's heat pump sales in the Chicago area increased by more than 25% over 2022."
"At Heatmasters, a 74-year-old HVAC company in the Jefferson Park neighborhood, residential services manager Leonard Sacchitello reported that heat pump sales are "way up." That's in keeping with anecdotal evidence of rapidly growing installations in Northern states. "In Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, we're seeing heat pump demand kind of skyrocket," said Josh Quinnell, a senior research scientist at the Center for Energy and Environment,"
Homeowners in Chicago seeking all-electric heating often face installer resistance or recommendations for gas backups, but some companies will install high-efficiency electric heat pumps with all-electric backups. Improved cold-weather heat pump technology from Europe and Asia, rising climate concerns, and utility and federal financial incentives have increased adoption in subzero cities. A major supplier reported double-digit year-over-year sales growth in the Chicago area for a decade and more than 25% growth in 2023 versus 2022. Local HVAC firms report sharply higher sales, and demand appears to be skyrocketing across Northern states including Maine, Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
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