Introducing the New England Heat Pump Accelerator
The New England Heat Pump Accelerator (Accelerator) is a multi-state effort to accelerate the adoption of cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ASHP), ground-source heat pumps (GSHP), and heat pump water heaters (HPWH) across New England. The Accelerator coalition was awarded a $450 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program in July 2024. Connecticut DEEP finalized the 5-year grant agreement with EPA in October 2024.
The coalition is led by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, Maine Governor’s Office for Policy Innovation and the Future, and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
The coalition will leverage the power of a multi-state market to rapidly increase the adoption of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters in single-family and multifamily residential buildings across the region. The coalition will also tackle barriers to affordable heat pump adoption and promote development of heat pump skill sets in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, and electrical workforce.
The coalition will partner with heat pump manufacturers, distributors, and installers to increase the availability of air-source and ground-source heat pumps while lowering equipment and installation costs for consumers. This partnership will include significant investment in workforce training, ensuring installers across the five states will have access to good-paying careers while delivering more efficient heating and cooling solutions for our residents. A portion of the funding will support innovative strategies to ensure heat pump installations that work for all building types, such as mobile homes, multifamily buildings, and buildings with radiator (hydronic) heating systems common throughout the region. Through the unprecedented multi-state collaboration supported by this grant, the states will share information and best practices learned through this initiative to improve heat pump programs and building policies for decades to come.
Current Updates
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ON STATE PILOT PROGRAM
Through its RFI dated November 5, 2025, DEEP is requesting comments on a potential design for a state heat pump pilot (Pilot) funded under the New England Heat Pump Accelerator (Accelerator). This Pilot is intended to propel the adoption of cold climate air-source heat pumps (ASHPs), heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), and/or other efficient, electric heat pump technologies in single-family and/or multi-family residential buildings.
Interested parties can access the Pilot Request for Information here.
Public Meeting
DEEP held a virtual public meeting on November 13, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET, to solicit feedback on the proposed pilot approach described in this RFI.
The recorded meeting is available at this link.
The meeting presentation slides are available at this link.
The Agenda for the November 13, 2025, public meeting is available.
The deadline to submit responses to this RFI is December 5, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET, via email to Deep.EnergyBureau@ct.gov and include “Accelerator State Grant RFI” in the subject line of the email.
KICK-OFF WEBINAR
Join us on November 19, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. ET for the Kick-Off webinar for the New England Heat Pump Accelerator (Accelerator). The $450 million program will support workforce development, incentives and grants for heat pumps in coalition states. Please register here for the New England Heat Pump Accelerator Kickoff Webinar.
COALITION NEWS
View Rhode Island’s State Pilot RFI. RFI Comments due: 11/10/2025
View New Hampshire's State Pilot RFI. RFI Comments due: 11/21/2025
RESOURCES
View GHG Savings Technical Appendix
Older News from 2025
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) (Released February 28, 2025)
DEEP released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Regional Implementer for the New England Heat Pump Accelerator. The Regional Implementer will lead and oversee implementation of the Accelerator. To qualify for a contract award, a Proposer or team of organizations must have the following minimum qualifications: Any individual, entity, or public or private firm located anywhere in the United States and registered to do business in the state of Connecticut with a strong working knowledge of the New England energy market is eligible to apply. Proposers must have experience implementing energy efficiency programs.
On March 21, 2025, DEEP posted Responses to Written Questions. In response to questions, DEEP is extending the deadline for proposals to April 10, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Interested parties can access the Implementer RFP here. This RFP has been updated in response to questions.
A bidders' conference was held on March 10, 2025. View the recording.
Written questions were accepted through March 11, 2025.
Request for Information and Notice of Technical Conference (Issued January 7, 2025)
DEEP requested feedback on the design of the New England Heat Pump Accelerator (Accelerator) program. Given the Accelerator’s scale and goals, DEEP offered interested parties and stakeholders the opportunity to provide information for consideration in determining the program’s structure and role of the Accelerator’s regional implementer. A Technical Conference with an opportunity for public comment was held on January 24, 2025. View the recording. Written responses to the Request for Information (RFI) were accepted through January 29, 2025. More information on the conference and opportunity for feedback can be found in the RFI linked below.
NE Heat Pump Accelerator Request for Information 1.7.2025
NE Heat Pump Accelerator Technical Conference - Agenda
December 2024
The Accelerator coalition is currently onboarding a regional convener and establishing the multi-state Advisory Council which will serve as the governing body for the program. The coalition expects to release a request for proposals in the first quarter of 2025 and launch the Accelerator program in mid-2025.
Content last updated November 28, 2025