Governor Janet Mills sets new target for 175,000 additional heat pumps by 2027, highlights funding and milestones

Governor Janet Mills said in a recorded address that Maine has surpassed 200,000 heat-pump installations and announced a goal to install 175,000 additional heat pumps by 2027 to build on the states earlier target and expand adoption.

Mills framed the push as a response to high energy prices tied to international events, saying the war in Iran has put "the price of oil and gas" on the minds of families and that Maine remains one of the most heating-oil-dependent states in the country. "We send billions of dollars each year from Maine out of our pockets and into the pockets of the oil and gas companies," she said.

The governor credited a 2019 law she signed that set a goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps by 2025 and said Maine reached that target in 2023, two years early. "We met it two years early, and we became a nationwide leader in installation of heat pumps," Mills said. She said the new aim would bring the total number of heat pumps installed during her time in office to about 275,000.

Mills described the benefits of high-performance heat pumps for both heating and cooling, saying they are "affordable, efficient, and easy to use," and that heat-pump water heaters use less than half the electricity of standard electric water heaters. She said Maine has cut its reliance on home heating oil by nearly 20 percent and that more than 16,000 people statewide now work in the clean-energy industry, including about 9,500 in energy-efficiency jobs such as heat-pump installation and service.

On consumer incentives, Mills said Maine received $43,000,000 through a New England heat pump accelerator grant to outfit roughly 30,000 homes with heat-pump water heaters and noted that participating retailers are offering an instant discount of more than $1,000. "Heat pump water heaters can save your family as much as $650 a year on electric bills," she said, and directed listeners to efficiencymain.com for rebate details.

Mills closed by emphasizing economic and environmental benefits: the transition is creating jobs, reducing reliance on costly fossil fuels and lowering household energy bills. "With this additional funding, we'll be delivering those same cost savings to more households across Maine," she said.