The upgrade path
Leave oil or propane behind at your own pace.
Most of our customers heat with oil or propane today. There are two honest paths, and we lay both out at the visit: keep the boiler as backup, or retire it.
Two paths
Path one: heat pump first, boiler stays as backup
Path two: heat pump takes over, boiler is retired
Either path: we plan the thermostats so you can see which system is running
Tank and fill: a decision for your supplier and you, and we help you ask
At the visit and after
How the move usually goes.
- 01
Step 1: Season one
The heat pump carries most of the heat. The boiler or furnace stays connected for the coldest stretch, so you learn what the new system does before you rely on it.
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Step 2: Reading the first winter
Look at your fuel deliveries and your electric bill side by side. We can walk through them with you.
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Step 3: The decision
Keep the backup, or retire it. If you retire it, we cap and disconnect it, and we point you to your supplier for the tank.
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Step 4: Season two
Yearly service on the heat pump, and a note on the schedule if you changed your mind about the boiler.
What drives the cost
What decides the price.
No figures here. These are the lines on the quote, and the second path has more of them.
Heat pump equipment
Capacity from the load calculation.
Electrical work
A new circuit, and a panel with room for it.
Boiler disconnect
Capping lines and making the old equipment safe.
Tank and lines
Removal or leaving in place is your decision and your supplier's.
Controls
Thermostats set so the backup only runs when it should.
Rebate and permit lines
Each is its own line.
Oil and propane questions.
Will I still need my boiler or furnace?
Not always. Some homeowners keep it for the first winter, or for one wing the heat pump does not reach, and some retire it after the first season. We tell you which fits your house at the visit, and we do not remove anything you want to keep.
My carbon monoxide alarm is going off. What do I do?
Get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911 or the fire department from outside. Do not go back in to find the cause. Once the house is cleared, call us if the alarm came from your oil or propane equipment. A heat pump makes no carbon monoxide, but a boiler or furnace that stays as backup can.
What if the power goes out?
A heat pump needs power to run, and so does an oil or propane burner. If outages worry you, ask us about a generator or battery connection when we plan the electrical work.
What rebates are there?
Efficiency Maine runs the state's heat pump rebates, and the amount depends on the system and on household income. We are a registered vendor, so we check what applies at the visit and show the rebate as its own line on the quote. Rules change, so the program's page is the final word.
Start with a home visit.
We will lay out both paths for your house and put the options in writing.