Chloe Zilliac, chloe@sunstonestrategies.org, 650.644.8259
HARTFORD, CT. — Burning gas, oil, and propane in furnaces and water heaters generates a staggering 23% of Connecticut’s nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution, more than eight times as much as the state’s power plants, according to a report released today from Save the Sound, Conservation Law Foundation, Sierra Club Connecticut, and RMI. The report illustrates that regulators can gradually eliminate this pollution by setting strong air quality standards for homes and buildings, and that doing so could save residents significant cash over time.
“Connecticut is failing to protect residents, especially communities of color, from hazardous air pollution. The state limits pollution from vehicles, power plants, and other key drivers of smog, but no equivalent standards currently exist for HVAC and water heating equipment. Closing this loophole is essential to achieve cleaner air in Connecticut,” said Shannon Laun, vice president and director of Conservation Law Foundation Connecticut.
The report, Connecticut’s Hidden Air Pollution Problem: Fossil Fuels in Buildings, finds pollution from homes and businesses is a significant barrier to meeting federal air quality standards for ozone, the air pollutant commonly referred to as smog. Communities of color in the state are more likely to live in areas with dangerous levels of ozone.
Read the report: Connecticut’s Hidden Air Pollution Problem: Fossil Fuels in Buildings.
The findings come as regulators at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) work to develop the state’s Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES), a key opportunity to advance air quality standards for heating equipment. As part of the CES, DEEP could recommend that only non-polluting HVAC and water heating equipment such as electric heat pumps be installed in homes after 2030.
“Pollution-free technologies like heat pumps can meet Connecticut households' heating needs, even in frigid temperatures, without fueling our state’s air quality crisis. When polluting HVAC and water equipment burns out, it should be replaced with pollution-free alternatives. It’s that simple,” said Samantha Dynowksi, state director, Sierra Club Connecticut.
In addition to cutting dangerous air pollution, setting air quality standards to transition homes to widely available heat pump technologies could help households save money on their utility bills. Analysis from RMI finds Connecticut households with heating oil and propane furnaces or boilers can save up to 35% on their utility bills by upgrading to an air source heat pump, and the average Connecticut household with a fossil fuel water heater can save up to 10% after replacing it with a heat pump water heater.
State incentives and soon-to-be available federal incentives can support Connecticut households in accessing money-saving heat pumps, although more funds are necessary to meet the scale of the need. Energize Connecticut offers up to $15,000 in combined incentives for residents to upgrade to a residential air-source heat pump. Starting next year, low-income homeowners will also be able to take advantage of federal incentives of up to $8,000 in rebates for air-source heat pumps, up to $2,500 for electrical wiring, and up to $1,600 for weatherization through the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The heating oil bills many Connecticut households saw this winter were simply staggering. Policymakers need to do more to support low-income households in accessing energy-saving technologies that can lower their monthly bills, while benefiting all Connecticut residents through cleaner air and a more stable climate," said Charles Rothenberger, climate and energy attorney, Save the Sound.
In addition to polluting the air, fossil fuel HVAC and water heating equipment is also responsible for roughly 30% of Connecticut’s total climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions – more than three times the emissions for the entire industrial sector. According to analysis from RMI, replacing a gas furnace with a heat pump in the average Connecticut home decreases operational greenhouse gas emissions from building space heating by 27% in the first year alone and 51% over the heat pump’s fifteen-year lifespan.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.