Sustainable Warwick to hold heat pump seminar

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., Sustainable Warwick will hold a seminar at the Albert Wisner Public Library to share information about the use of heat pumps to warm and cool your home. Whether you are doing new construction or starting to think about replacing an aging furnace or boiler, this seminar may be for you.

The seminar will discuss the efficiency of cold climate heat pumps — sometimes called “air-source heat pumps,” “minisplits” or “ductless” heat pumps — when compared with electric baseboard heating, traditional gas furnaces or oil burners, even when used in sub-zero temperatures or for air conditioning.

This overview will also explain how heat pumps work, the different technology choices and terminology, what they cost, what they save, what tax rebates are available, and how they are sized for your house. Presenters will be Dr. Bill Makofske, a physicist and professor with energy experience; representatives from two local heat pump installers; and several Warwick homeowners who heat and cool their own homes with heat pumps. (The library is also heated and cooled by ground-source heat pumps.)

“This is our seventh winter with heat pumps, and our home has been perfectly comfortable, even on the recent frigid days here in Warwick,” said Michael Helme of SW’s Climate and Energy Committee. “The fact that we haven’t received a propane bill for years really warms my heart.”

To register for the seminar, visit the library in person at 1 MacFarland Drive, Warwick, or online at AlbertWisnerLibrary.org, or call their reference desk: 845-986-1047, Ext. 4.