Heat pumps in Hawaii
Hawaii is the one state where space heating barely exists as a category — Honolulu's coldest month still averages a 67°F low. Almost nobody heats a home here, which is why the heat pump figure is close to zero. The technology still matters enormously in Hawaii, just in a different appliance: heat pump water heaters, against the highest electricity prices in the nation.
Heat pump adoption
EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗0.2% of Hawaii 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. The survey reached few homes in this state, so treat this figure as approximate.
Episodes
Recorded in Hawaii
Homeowners and contractors in HI, in their own words.
Money and next steps
What Hawaii pays toward one
Hawaii Energy
The ratepayer-funded efficiency programme for Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties. Its heat pump incentives centre on water heating, which is where the savings are in this climate.
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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii. Last checked September 2026.
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The numbers
What a heat pump here has to cover
67°F
Coldest month average low
Honolulu · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
89°F
Warmest month average high
Honolulu · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Cooling is the load that sizes the system here, and heating is the easy part — a heat pump covers it without breaking a sweat. The efficiency question is mostly about how hard the unit works in August, not January.