Meg Howard
Username
Meg Howard
Proposer First Name
Meg
Proposer Email
margaret.s.howard@gmail.com
Proposer Last Name
Howard
Boston 2021 Areas of Focus
Proposer Company/Organization
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Proposer Phone
(203) 676-6098
Proposer Job Title
Program Director
Proposed Session Description
From 2018-2020, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) installed 50+ whole-home air source heat pumps for low-income customers that previously heated with oil and propane through a pilot funded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). The session will be moderated by Meg Howard of the MassCEC and feature Oreste Manzi, a program manager for ABCD and Josh Cayea of General Mechanical Contractors, Inc., a heat pump installer that partnered on this pilot. Through the 50+ projects installed as part of this pilot, ABCD and its partner installers have learned some lessons about how to optimize heat pump performance while reducing upfront costs. Additionally, all of the projects included some degree of weatherization upgrades, and this session will discuss the intersection of heat pump retrofits and weatherization. This session will feature case studies of four different types of heat pump solutions that will be used to highlight ABCD’s learnings from the pilot: (1) ducted, (2) ductless, (3) mini-VRF, and (4) air-to-water.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
This session features case studies from low-income households (
Learning Objectives
Understand the range of heat pump technologies available for residential retrofits in the market today.
Understand heat pump design solutions that reduce costs.
Learn about heat pump design solutions that optimize performance.
Appreciate the role of weatherization in heat pump retrofits.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
Session Format Details
Presentation with slides that features case studies, followed by a moderated discussion and questions.
Recommended Length
60-minute session
Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2021
Reviewer 1
Ruuska, Ksenia
Reviewer 2
Field, Keirstan
Curator
Howard, Meg
Proposal #
189
Session #
702
Committee Decision
Accepted
Presenters
Full Description
Retrofitting existing homes represents a significant portion of the challenge of decarbonizing our region. Specifically, heating is the largest source of our homes’ greenhouse gas emissions in the northeast region. The relatively high-cost for heat pump retrofit solutions is a significant barrier to achieving the region's decarbonization goals. Attendees will leave with an understanding that there are high performing retrofit solutions that don’t break the bank possible today.