Heat pumps work in NY. Don't believe misinformation — climate change is real | Opinion

The propane industry in New York — distributors of the colorless, liquefied petroleum gas used for home heating and firing up barbecue grills — is on war footing. Last year, the industry spent almost $1 million across the Empire State opposing policies that would mandate electrified heating in new construction. New information shows that nationally, the Propane Education and Research Council, a federally chartered trade association that collects fees on propane sales to bankroll research campaigns, plans to spend over $13 million this year to battle electrification on all fronts, and they’ve got their eyes set on New York. 

Rich Goldberg, president of a communications firm that caters specifically to the propane and heating oil industry, wrote in a blog that New York has “the most radical climate change legislation in the country,” which would lead to policies that would “mark (propane) for extinction.” Goldberg is referring to the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, from 1990 levels. This is essential because greenhouse gases are the prime driver of climate change and the extreme weather we have seen in recent years. It is accepted science that to prevent furthering the devastating impacts of climate change, emissions must be reduced. However, the propane industry, along with gas utilities and oil heating firms, want to continue with business as usual and keep their products in demand. 

Heat pumps — heating and cooling units that only use electricity — don't need fossil fuels to operate, including propane, so they’ve become a target of the New York Propane Gas Association. The industry’s social media ads, which reached 2 million viewers, battered heat pumps as budget-busters and unreliable in cold weather. But both claims are erroneous. According to a study by Win Climate, electrified heating systems in new construction cost the same or less than fossil-fueled systems to install and are hundreds of dollars cheaper a year to operate than gas boilers or furnaces, and several thousand dollars cheaper than propane. In addition, there are substantial federal and state incentives for building electrification which makes the technology even more affordable. 

While heat pumps have been common in warmer regions of the U.S. for decades, the new generation of technology now works effectively for colder northern states like New York. Consumer Reports affirms that the Energy Star standards for 2023 include a certification mark for cold-climate heat pumps, designating a suitable level of performance and efficiency. In addition, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships recent data show that numerous models can heat your home at -5 degrees Fahrenheit, not only at 47 degrees Fahrenheit. As the heat pump market expands — in part aided by President Joe Biden’s authorization of the Defense Production Act to “rapidly expand American manufacturing of … clean technologies” and in part because they’re cheaper in new buildings and better for the planet — the costs of heat pumps will only continue to decline. 

In addition, there are some questions about the legalities of the propaganda put forth by the propane industry. For years the Government Accountability Office has argued that the dues collected by the Propane Education and Research Council should not be used for political advertising or lobbying. As early as 2003, the Office raised concerns that funds from the consumer education category of the Council’s budget were primarily spent on marketing and promotional activities to sell more propane. They write that “there is some indication in the legislative history [of the Propane Education and Research Act, which authorized the establishment of the Council] that assessment funds were not intended to be used primarily for these purposes.”  

Spurred by recent reporting about the Propane Education and Research Council’s $13-million-dollar anti-electrification campaign, a February 2023 Senate letter to Secretary Granholm at Department of Energy — the federal agency that has oversight over the propane industry — expressed concern over potential “misuse of assessment fees” by the Council, asking if the Department had ever reviewed the Council’s ads that might mislead consumers about home heating options. The Energy and Policy Institute, an advocacy group, requested the Council’s documents regarding lobbying and ad campaigns, which resulted in dozens of documents being removed from the Council’s website.  

As the propane industry continues to assault legislative efforts to fulfill New York’s climate goals, this information is likely not only factually wrong, but it’s possibly a violation of the Propane Education and Research Council’s federal charter. New York must keep on its path to achieve its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals and not buy into the propaganda of the propane industry. 

Richard Schrader is the New York Legislative and Policy Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council