Heat pumps in District of Columbia
Washington sits at 15.0% of homes on a heat pump — respectable, though the District's housing is unusual: dense, old, much of it rowhouses and apartments where the equipment options are genuinely constrained. Ductless systems do a lot of the work here for exactly that reason.
Heat pump adoption
EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗15% of District of Columbia homes use a heat pump as their main heat
Goal: every home
Central heat pumps and ductless mini-splits combined, counted as the home's main heating equipment. A further 1.4% of District of Columbia homes run a mini-split as secondary heat alongside natural gas.
Episodes
Recorded in District of Columbia
Homeowners and contractors in DC, in their own words.
Money and next steps
What District of Columbia pays toward one
DC Sustainable Energy Utility
The District's ratepayer-funded efficiency utility. Heat pump rebates, income-qualified programmes and specific offerings for the small multifamily buildings that make up much of DC's housing.
Program details →Federal Home Energy Rebates
The IRA rebate programs (HEAR and HOMES) survived the 2025 tax changes — they were grants to states, not tax credits. Each state runs its own, and they are at different stages: some open, some already out of money, some yet to launch. Check where District of Columbia stands before you count on it.
Program details →
The federal 25C tax credit — 30% back, up to $2,000 on a heat pump — ended for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025. If you had one installed in 2025 or earlier you can still claim it; there is no successor credit. Incentives move fast, so check DSIRE for what is current in District of Columbia. Last checked September 2026.
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The numbers
What a heat pump here has to cover
30°F
Coldest month average low
Washington · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
90°F
Warmest month average high
Washington · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Both loads matter here — cold snaps are real, and so are the summers. A system sized only for heating will short-cycle in August; one sized only for cooling will lean on backup heat in January. Getting the balance right is the job.