Why HeatPumpScore exists
The Inflation Reduction Act put $14,000 per household on the table for home electrification, including up to $8,000 for a heat pump. Whether that actually pays back depends on five variables — your climate, your electricity rate, your gas rate, the rebates you qualify for, and the equipment life. No single site mixes all five cleanly at zip-code granularity.
HeatPumpScore does. The formula is public. The math is shown. If a zip earns a NOT YET from the data, we say NOT YET — even when it would be easy to hand-wave into a SOLID YES for conversion.
Only federal data, cited
- EIA Open DataRetail electricity and natural gas prices by state and utility, refreshed monthly.eia.gov/opendata
- NOAA 1991–2020 Climate NormalsHDD, CDD, and 99% winter design temperatures for 40,000+ U.S. stations.ncei.noaa.gov
- DOE Building America Solution CenterResidential heat pump performance by IECC zone, cold-climate sizing guidance.basc.pnnl.gov
- DSIREDatabase of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. Weekly refresh of federal + state + utility rebate programs.dsireusa.org
- ENERGY STAR Qualified ProductsCertified heat pump models with HSPF2, SEER2, and NEEP cold-climate listing.energystar.gov/productfinder
What we won't do
- No manufacturer sponsorships.We don't take money from Mitsubishi, Carrier, Bosch, Daikin, or any heat pump maker.
- No contractor referral fees.We don't sell leads to HomeAdvisor, Angi, or installer networks.
- NOT YET exists.A site that converts every zip into a “yes” is selling something. We're not.
- Show the math. Every zip page shows the exact weighted sum that produced its tier. See /methodology.
Who writes this
HeatPumpScore Editorial
Editorial team
The HeatPumpScore editorial team grades heat pump viability using EIA electricity rates, NOAA climate normals, DOE performance curves, and DSIRE rebate stacks. No contractor sponsorships, no affiliate deals with heat pump manufacturers. When we say “skip it”, we mean skip it.
Ewan Holcomb
Lead methodology writer
Ewan writes the long-form methodology pages and audits the math behind each zipcode grade. Background in mechanical engineering and residential energy consulting. Focuses on making federal datasets readable to homeowners who just want a straight answer — no jargon, no euphemism.