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Upgrades to Existing Home – Denver, CO

Katie and Zach

Katie and Zach found themselves moving to Northeast Denver in 2014 to be closer to the Anschutz Medical Center for Zach’s work. As two healthcare professionals, the health and safety of their two children has always been their number one priority. Living in Denver has made them more aware of air quality, both in and outside the home. So after April 2021, when the couple did some insulation upgrades to their home, the next step became more obvious as Katie started to watch videos on electric homes on YouTube. To her, getting a heat pump would further improve the comfort of their home and be the biggest shift that would impact the energy usage and air quality in their early 2000s townhome.

Rather than wait for their furnace to need replacing, Katie and Zach felt it was important to act sooner rather than later. They spoke with Michael Thompson from Carbon Switch, who referred Katie and Zach to Elephant Energy. After having other quotes and audits from other companies, Katie was confident in Elephant Energy because they acknowledged her concerns and demonstrated their level of expertise and faith in heat pump technology to make her confident in her choice to make the switch.

In July of 2022, Katie and Zach said goodbye to their furnace and put in a Mitsubishi air source heat pump. Their system is connected to their smart thermostat, so they can set parameters and help control a more consistent, level temperature throughout the house. Their initial quote was $15,000 but the couple received $9,000 in rebates. That amount of savings allows them the capacity to allocate money towards further electrification projects like an induction stove.

Benefits


  • Very quiet
  • Great comfort
  • Reduced carbon emissions
  • Reduced risks from carbon monoxide
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Katie commented that sometimes she has to check to see if her system is running, because it’s so quiet. She feels good knowing there is a reliable system for her and her family in place, and as a consumer, she said Elephant Energy was just as reliable as the installers. Their level of communication and education is what led to Katie and Zach’s overall satisfaction.

“Policy change is one thing, but as an individual, getting a heat pump was a values-oriented decision. We wanted to move away from fossil fuels and figure out what we are doing to be more climate conscious. And we might have saved money, but we were more concerned about saving our kids’ lungs.”

Katie also acknowledged that she felt her family was very privileged and feels that between modern heat pump technology and the Inflation Reduction Act, there is a huge opportunity to serve communities who deserve to have better air quality.

“Electrification can be pieced together slowly. You don’t have to be all in immediately. There have been a lot of improvements to this technology. As a consumer, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how it works and find a service who can do what you want.”

Quick Facts


  • Location:
    Boulder
  • Home Size:
    2160 ft2
  • Upgrades:
    New heat pump system
  • Heating & Cooling:
    A Mitsubishi Hyper Heat 3 Ton Cold-Climate, centrally ducted heat pump system.
  • Heating & Cooling Cost:
    $15,000, before rebates from the City of Denver of $9,000
  • Heat Pump Installer:
    Elephant Energy
  • Why This Heating System:
    Very efficient, eliminates the need for a gas furnace.