Published on January 17, 2025
Financial support for heat pumps from the City and County of Denver comes in many sizes. This can range from a partial rebate for homeowners that covers a portion of the price tag to a full rebate for nonprofits that serve Denver’s most vulnerable residents.
Full financial support from Denver bought Sun Valley-based Earthlinks a brand new $34,000 rooftop heat pump unit in 2023. Earthlinks has a dual mission of supporting adults experiencing homelessness while forging deep connections with the earth and environmental sustainability. Earthlinks does this by cultivating a large community garden, feeding those in need, and making earth friendly products that it sells inside a gift and coffee shop.
Kathleen Cronan, former executive director of Earthlinks, said the opportunity to decarbonize the nonprofit’s workshop space originally attracted her to the opportunity.
“We wanted to be good stewards of earth. And we also knew we were looking for improvements that we would have to do,” said Cronan, referring to the workshop’s ailing gas-powered rooftop unit. That, combined with a noisy swamp cooler, kept the climate only somewhat comfortable for Earthlinks’ volunteers.
But Cronan knew there was room for improvement. So, she began talking with employees at the City and County of Denver to find out what it might cost to install equipment in this important gathering space. Receiving the full rebate amount was significant for the small nonprofit, which has operated on a lean budget for years.
When it comes to heat pumps, planning ahead before equipment failure can save a lot of headaches, according to Miles Hayes, senior engineer with Michaels Energy. The consulting firm administers Denver’s rebate program and helps customers identify and correctly size heat pumps for installation. Hayes suggests that homeowners and nonprofits interested in electrifying would stand to benefit from planning months—even years ahead—to avoid unpleasant surprises.
“Try being proactive and getting balls moving before your systems fail,” said Hayes. “We've had a number of projects with emergency replacements where they're stuck with a gas rooftop unit on their building because they had to go with what was available.”
While the heat pump offers both heating and cooling, it’s the heat pump’s cooling technology that volunteers love because it’s significantly quieter than the swamp cooler unit that used to rumble along in the background on hot summer days. Since Earthlinks specializes in creating community for the most vulnerable, she was thrilled to see the robust conversations spring to life last summer in a quieter, more comfortable environment.