How this Arizona retiree saved big bucks on energy bills
Garth saved many, many Benjamins by switching to electric through an upfront federal rebate program.
Garth came to the sun-baked state of Arizona looking for year-round warm weather.
A retired journalist and writer who worked for the Wyoming Department of Transportation, Garth settled in Buckeye, Arizona — a town on the western edge of the Phoenix metro area where he and his neighbors are outnumbered by miles of surrounding sagebrush and sand.
Garth was first in line for the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program, which uses upfront federal funds to purchase and install heat pumps for low- and middle-income households. The program covered 60 percent of the cost of his new system — which was installed in his home within a week of applying.
“All I had to put in was $4,000 for a brand new system,” Garth said, “It turned out well … so I guess that’s what I would tell people, at least out here in Arizona: that if those funds are available, not only is it a good idea to get them but it’s a very easy process.”
While the recent mega-bill passed in Congress is putting a halt to federal tax credits for home upgrades like adding heat pumps and rooftop solar, federal rebate programs administered by states — like the one Garth used — are still on the table, at least for now.
“If those rebates went away, it would certainly be a negative thing for people like me all over this country,” said Garth, who saved more than $10,000 replacing his 20-year-old HVAC system with a heat pump.
“They’re meant to help people who might otherwise not be able to afford these things.”
“A $1,750 rebate for heat pump water heaters, that would practically pay for a heat pump water heater.”
— Garth
Garth’s other go-electric savings:
Solar
Garth added solar to his house in 2017 using a 30 percent tax rebate — setting the stage to power the new heat pump system even more efficiently.
“I kind of headed down the greening of America road a while ago,” he explained. Each new electric addition has built on the success of the earlier installs. Garth’s solar panels produce enough energy to run his air conditioner, and still send energy back to the grid.
EV Car
Garth started out with a Chevy Bolt EV. Then, when Tesla prices started tanking earlier this year, he traded in his Bolt and upgraded to a dark gray used Tesla, which he calls his “Batmobile.”
“The fact of the matter is, I’m old,” laughed Garth, “I don’t know how many years driving I have left, may as well be having a good time doing it.”
Next planned install: A heat pump water heater
Garth is hoping Arizona moves ahead with its planned rebates for heat pump water heaters — so he can save money by cutting off the gas bill he gets to run his gas water heater. “A $1,750 rebate for heat pump water heaters, that would practically pay for a heat pump water heater,” he said. He also said the heat pump water heater would bring big benefits by sucking the heat out of his garage, which tops 100 degrees on a daily basis, and would cool off his EV and save battery power he’d otherwise waste by running the AC in the car once he’s on the road.
“So I’ll be air-conditioning my garage by having a heat pump water heater.”
