A New Way to Buy and Sell Heat Pumps

A newer way to buy a heat pump is spreading: group buying. A community group, town, nonprofit, or HOA rounds up homeowners interested in a heat pump (a system that both heats and cools by moving heat rather than burning fuel), then matches them with a prequalified contractor who handles the home visit, system design, paperwork, and install. Because the contractor gets many customers at once instead of one at a time, prices tend to drop and projects move faster. Elephant Energy, a Colorado company, says its group-buy customers typically save 10 to 20 percent off market prices, and its 2025 campaign with a partner group produced more than 85 installations in about three months.

Other programs push homeowners toward the "shoulder season" — spring or fall, when contractors are less busy — in exchange for savings. California-based Vayu, which coordinates installs through a network of contractors rather than doing them itself, says its group-buy customers save $3,000 to $6,000 versus the open market; its summer group had a July 31 sign-up deadline with installs running September through December. Vayu currently limits its groups to ducted systems using a single standardized heat pump model in the 17-18 SEER2 efficiency range, chosen to qualify for rebates.

In Boston, Laminar Collective runs a similar program, coordinating about 100 installations a year and reporting roughly 15 percent savings for homeowners who buy in spring or fall. These programs vary by location, so what is available, and any savings or deadlines, depends on where you live.