Heat pumps in Kentucky

Kentucky is tenth in the country at 22.9% of homes, and it has one of the larger secondary-heat gaps outside New England — another 1.5% of homes run a mini-split alongside their main system. Cheap electricity and a lot of housing that never got a gas main explain most of the position.

Find an installer here Episodes from KY
KY

Heat pump adoption

EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗

22.9% of Kentucky 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 1.5% of Kentucky homes run a mini-split as secondary heat alongside natural gas.

Episodes

Recorded in Kentucky

Homeowners and contractors in KY, in their own words.

Money and next steps

What Kentucky pays toward one

  • Kentucky Office of Energy Policy

    The state energy office. Kentucky has no statewide efficiency programme; LG&E and KU, Duke Energy Kentucky and the co-ops each run their own residential offerings.

    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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky. Last checked September 2026.

Ready to get quotes?

Tell us about your home and we'll connect you with installers who work in Kentucky — and who we'd let near our own houses.

Get connected

The numbers

What a heat pump here has to cover

  • 28°F

    Coldest month average low

    Louisville · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

  • 89°F

    Warmest month average high

    Louisville · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

Coldest month, average low Warmest month, average high

Cold-climate heat pumps are rated to hold full output well below zero. The question here is not whether one works, it is whether yours was sized and installed for the coldest night of the year rather than the average one.