Dick MacDonough of Arlington, Massachusetts sought to replace his central air conditioner unit after it stopped working. This central air conditioner had previously provided cooling to the hottest areas in his two-family home – the second and third floor. Rather than replace the broken unit with another central air conditioner, the homeowner wanted to explore upgrading to a high-efficiency alternative that could lower his energy use and increase the comfort of his living space. After doing some research, Dick determined that a ducted air source heat pump would be the best fit for his multigenerational 1920s home.
Upon identifying Net Zero Heating & Air Conditioning of Billerica, MA (a contractor participating in the Mass Save® Heat Pump Installer Network) and learning of the heat pump rebates offered by Eversource, a Sponsor of Mass Save, Dick decided to move forward with the project.
Dick’s goal was to efficiently cool his second and third floor, which is approximately 2,000 square feet, and to lower energy use while ensuring the comfort of his family. In addition to the heat pump, Net Zero Heating & Air Conditioning installed an air handler and a WiFi thermostat, maximizing the family’s return on their investment.
After deciding on the Bosch Split System heat pump and Bosch multi-speed air handler, Dick worked with Net Zero Heating & Air Conditioning to complete the installation.
During the installation process, the contractor utilized some of the existing ductwork, but parts of it were upgraded to accommodate the new system. An Ecobee Wi-Fi thermostat was also installed to provide the homeowners with the ability to change the thermostat remotely.
Initially, Dick’s family planned to use the heat pump system primarily for cooling, but with the harsh New England winters and rising cost of delivered fuels the family decided to put the system’s high efficiency heating to the test. Almost two years after installation, the homeowner got rid of the oil tank and disconnected the radiators for the second and third floor.
The MacDonough family received a $3,500 rebate from Eversource, a Sponsor of Mass Save, to help offset the cost of this decarbonization project. The average U.S. home uses 500 gallons of oil per year. Eliminating this fuel results in an average annual reduction of 5.1 Metric Tons carbon dioxide emissions. These emissions are the environmental equivalent of removing approximately one vehicle driven for a year.
