Oil to heat pump
When to switch to a heat pump
Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it's keep the boiler, add a heat pump beside it. And sometimes it's keep the boiler and plan the switch for later. Here is how we tell them apart.
Signs it's worth a serious look
The boiler is near the end of its life, or the heat exchanger leaks
The oil tank is due for replacement
You want cooling in summer
Oil bills swing more than you can plan around
The house has been air-sealed and insulated
Side by side
Keep it, add to it, or switch
Rebate rules change each year, so we don't print amounts. Mass Save's own page has the current ones.
| What changes | Keep the oil boiler | Add a heat pump, keep the boiler | Heat pump as the main heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Keep the oil boilerA house with a sound boiler and no wish for cooling | Add a heat pump, keep the boilerA house that wants cooling and less oil, with the boiler as backup | Heat pump as the main heatA house that suits it, or whose boiler and tank are both at the end |
| The tank | Keep the oil boilerStays, and stays filled | Add a heat pump, keep the boilerStays, filled less often | Heat pump as the main heatPumped out and removed, or left empty, by your choice |
| Radiators | Keep the oil boilerKeep working as they do | Add a heat pump, keep the boilerKeep working; the heat pump serves other rooms or the whole house through ducts | Heat pump as the main heatOften replaced by ducts or ductless units, unless the house suits another design |
| Electrical | Keep the oil boilerNo change | Add a heat pump, keep the boilerA circuit for the heat pump; the panel is checked | Heat pump as the main heatA larger load; the panel is checked and may need work |
| Mass Save rebate type | Keep the oil boilerNone | Add a heat pump, keep the boilerPartial-home, if you qualify | Heat pump as the main heatWhole-home, if you qualify |
Massachusetts program
What Mass Save asks for
Mass Save is the state's utility-run program. We don't print amounts here, because they change every year; its own page has the current ones.
A rebate for the heat pump
Larger when the heat pump becomes the main heat and the old fuel heating is removed or disconnected; smaller when you keep the boiler.
An assessment first
Mass Save asks for a home energy assessment before it will pay a whole-home rebate, and the house has to be sealed and insulated enough.
The program's installers
Rebates go through installers listed in the program's network. Check the installer list on Mass Save's site, and ask us on the phone.
A loan, for approved homes
Mass Save's HEAT Loan is its own financing. The lender sets the terms, credit approval applies, and the program lists the current limits.
Income-qualified homes
Households under the program's income limits may be eligible for more help. Mass Save sets the limits and does the checking.
Paperwork
We fill out the contractor's part of the rebate forms, keep copies for you and tell you what the program still needs from you.
How a switch goes
From your oil bills to a running system
Four steps, in this order. You can stop after any of them.
- 01
Step 1: We read your last two winters
Gallons from your oil dealer's statements tell us what the house actually needs, better than any guess about its size.
- 02
Step 2: We calculate each room's heat loss
A room-by-room load calculation, so the heat pump is sized to the house, not to the boiler it replaces.
- 03
Step 3: You get three options in writing
Keep oil, add a heat pump, or switch, each with its work listed line by line and the rebate type it would fall under.
- 04
Step 4: We install, and we check back
If the boiler stays, the controls decide which runs when. We come back after the first cold month to check how it's doing.
Heat pump questions from oil households
Do heat pumps work in a Worcester winter?
Cold-climate models are built to work well below freezing. The question for your house is how it's sized and what backs it up, and we work that out from the heat-loss calculation.
Will I save money?
It depends on your oil price, your electric rate and the house. We compare your last two winters of oil bills with the electricity the heat pump would use, and show you the numbers, not a promise.
What happens to my oil tank and the oil in it?
If you switch fully, we set out the choices: have the oil pumped out and used or taken away, and the tank removed or left empty. Each is a separate line in the quote.
Can I keep my radiators?
Yes, if you keep the boiler. If the boiler goes, the radiators go quiet; we'll talk about ducts, ductless units and any other design that suits the house.
Is there a federal credit?
Ask us what your state or utility offers. We don't promise a federal credit.
Want the numbers for your house?
Send us your last two winters of oil statements and we'll set out the three options with the work listed line by line.