Heat pumps in Ohio
Ohio sits at 5.7% of homes heating with a heat pump — well ahead of Michigan or Wisconsin despite a similar climate. A big share of Ohio housing sits off the gas main and went electric decades ago, which quietly made it heat pump country before anyone called it that.
Heat pump adoption
EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗5.7% of Ohio 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.
Episodes
Recorded in Ohio
Homeowners and contractors in OH, in their own words.
Money and next steps
What Ohio pays toward one
Ohio Department of Development — Energy Programs
Ohio has no comprehensive statewide efficiency program; utility offerings from AEP Ohio, Duke and others vary a lot by territory. The state runs income-qualified assistance and weatherisation, and is the right starting point if you qualify.
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 Ohio 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 Ohio. Last checked September 2026.
Ready to get quotes?
Tell us about your home and we'll connect you with installers who work in Ohio — and who we'd let near our own houses.
The numbers
What a heat pump here has to cover
22°F
Coldest month average low
Columbus · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
85°F
Warmest month average high
Columbus · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
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.