Heat pumps in West Virginia
West Virginia runs at 20.2% of homes on a heat pump, which surprises people who picture it as coal country. Much of the state's housing sits well away from a gas main and went electric decades ago — the same story as rural Indiana, in more difficult terrain.
Heat pump adoption
EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗20.2% of West Virginia 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 0.5% of West Virginia homes run a mini-split as secondary heat alongside wood.
Episodes
Recorded in West Virginia
Homeowners and contractors in WV, in their own words.
Money and next steps
What West Virginia pays toward one
West Virginia Office of Energy
The state energy office, within the Division of Economic Development. Appalachian Power and Mon Power run the residential programmes; West Virginia has no statewide efficiency mandate.
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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia. Last checked September 2026.
Ready to get quotes?
Tell us about your home and we'll connect you with installers who work in West Virginia — and who we'd let near our own houses.
The numbers
What a heat pump here has to cover
26°F
Coldest month average low
Charleston · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
86°F
Warmest month average high
Charleston · 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.