Acorn Energy Co-op

Want to save money on your heating bill while reducing your dependence on fossil fuels at the same time?  The Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op makes it easy and affordable for you to cut your heating bill dramatically—and make your home more comfortable year round with a “Mini-Split” Cold-Climate Heat Pump at a fraction of the cost of conventional heating and cooling! Better yet, these units can easily be installed as retrofits in existing homes.

 

We’ve teamed up with Weatherization Works of Pawlet, a highly regarded energy efficiency and equipment installation company, which is offering our members a 5% discount off the price of installing a “mini-split” CCHP in your home!  This discount is in addition to any discounts offered by Efficiency Vermont. Weatherization Works will be happy to give you an estimate, if you live in Addison or Rutland Counties. WW installs Mitsubishi mini-splits sized specifically for your home.

 

Contact us first to be sure that you qualify for this member-only discount.

 

Call 802 385-1911.

 

Recent Advances

 

For many years, Air Source Heat Pumps have used an electrically powered refrigeration cycle to move and enhance latent heat from cold outside air into your living space during the winter.  Recent advances in ASHP technology have improved performance levels under cold weather conditions down to -13º Fahrenheit, making Cold Climate Heat Pumps (an ASHP subcategory) an effective space heating alternative for Vermont and all northern U.S. regions. In the summer, CCHPs reverse the process and cool your home like an air-conditioner by removing heat from indoor air and expelling it to the outside. But a CCHP is much quieter than the typical window-mounted air-conditioner and uses less electricity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CCHP ductless mini-split heat pumps have an outdoor unit connected by small copper tubes and electrical control wires to one (or more) indoor units. Due to their relative simplicity (no expensive air ducts required), mini-splits have a modest (around $4,000-$5,500) price tag.  These mini-splits are often installed in homes and offices to supplement existing heat systems, usually in the most frequently used rooms, such as a family room.

 

Big Savings

 

Over the course of a typical Vermont winter, if properly installed, heat pumps can deliver up to three units of heat for every unit of electricity used, a remarkable 300% efficiency (no, that’s not a typo—300%) resulting in significant fuel cost savings, according to the U. S. Department of Energy. Consequently, mini-split CCHPs can provide heat at higher efficiency and lower costs than conventional electrical resistance heating, oil, or propane heating systems.

 

Efficiency Vermont's incentive program for CCHPs is active again for many different sizes of units. If you have questions about the CCHP Program, please contact Efficiency Vermont Customer Support at 1-888-921-5990.

 

According to a study published in 2013 by Efficiency Maine, paybacks can run between two and three years depending on your current heating fuel (Due to a wide range of variables, your payback period may be different).

 

As always, we recommend that you get an energy audit for your home to identify ways to make your home more energy efficient before you undertake any major renewable energy project.

 

The Acorn Energy Co-op is a participant in VPIRG's "Heat Clean" initiative that promotes Cold Climate Heat Pumps.

 

Save Money with a Mini-Split Heat Pump Today!

 

Learn how you can reduce your use of fossil fuels—and start saving money on your heating bill with a Mini-Split Cold Climate Heap Pump.

 

Call us for a free evaluation, 802 385-1911.

 

You must be an Acorn Energy Co-op member in order to take

advantage of our member discounts. Join Today!