WASHINGTON DC — Rewiring America has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for qualified manufacturers of heat pump equipment to partner on the development of a new Heat Pump Access Program.
Rewiring America is a member of Power Forward Communities (PFC), a coalition of five of the country’s most trusted community development, housing, and climate organizations dedicated to decarbonizing and upgrading American housing. PFC was awarded a $2 billion grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to support the affordable decarbonization of homes and apartments throughout the country, with a particular focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Rewiring America is tasked with designing and deploying a program specifically focused on single-family, owner-occupied low and moderate-income (LMI) homes within the U.S., and will be the contracting counterparty as it relates to this RFP.
There are nearly 24 million LMI single-family households across the U.S. that would see utility bill savings by installing a heat pump. Despite heat pump HVAC systems being a substantial tool for financial savings and comfort, several barriers exist that have traditionally prevented LMI households from upgrading to electric heat pumps. These include:
- Limited awareness about federal, state, local, and utility rebates
- Complicated process to purchase and install
- High upfront costs, and high costs to finance heat pumps on credit
Rewiring America's Heat Pump Access Program is specifically designed to address these key barriers. It will deliver improved home comfort and energy savings for families, which will then open up new market opportunities for manufacturers, distributors, and installers of HVAC equipment. By building demand for planned heating and cooling upgrades in these homes through a dedicated program, the company hopes to unlock new business and revenue opportunities for the entire value chain.
Rewiring America invites heat pump manufacturers to submit proposals to participate in this program, which will save American families money, tackle nationwide emissions goals, improve health, and build the next generation of the clean energy workforce.
OEM's interested in receiving the full RFP, please email rfp@rewiringamerica.org.
Summary of key dates:
- September 10th, 2024: The release of a request for proposal (RFP)
- September 20th, 2024: Questions from potential respondents due
- October 11th, 2024: Proposal due/last date of submission of proposals
- December 20th, 2024: Signing of agreements with qualified respondents
Interested manufacturers can send their proposals via email with this reference in the subject “[Company Name]’s Heat Pump Access Program RFP Response” to rfp@rewiringamerica.org by 11:59 pm EST on October 11th, 2024.
Questions related to this RFP should be submitted to rfp@rewiringamerica.org by 11:59 pm EST on September 20th, 2024.
