Kent Wimmer has four heat pumps in his home in Tallahassee, Florida: a heat pump HVAC, a heat pump water heater, a heat pump clothes dryer, and a heat pump in his electric vehicle (EV), parked and charging in his garage. 

As we learned in our Part 1 blog of Kent’s home energy story, these heat pumps didn’t magically appear overnight. With careful planning and a passionate goal, Kent has been gradually electrifying his home since deciding four years ago that he was tired of being held hostage by the fossil fuel industry and rising gas prices. What started with a hurricane that quite literally cleared the way for Kent to install backyard solar panels has turned into a commitment to reduce his family’s carbon footprint – and their power bill. 

In Part 2 of Kent’s home energy story, we’ll learn more about his switch to a heat pump clothes dryer, plus his family’s decision to purchase an EV after hearing of the incoming federal administration’s plans to roll back EV tax credits. 

Kent’s Switch from Gas → Heat Pump Clothes Dryer

What prompted your switch from a gas clothes dryer to a heat pump clothes dryer?

In October 2024, our daughter’s clothes washer went out, so we gave her ours. However, she couldn’t use our gas dryer because her home is not hooked up to gas, so we took the opportunity to replace the gas dryer and purchased a new washer and dryer set. 

How does it work?

We bought a Miele washer and dryer set – an electric washer and a ventless heat pump dryer. The dryer uses electricity to heat up the air that blows through to dry the clothes and then pulls that air and moisture back out. It’s all recycled, and it’s using the air from inside the house to generate the heat, so it cools your laundry room at the same time. It’s also not smelly like our gas dryer, and we don’t have to hire someone to periodically clean the dryer vent pipe.

Kent’s new washer and heat pump dryer set from Miele.

Did you get any tax credits on your heat pump dryer? 

We received a rebate from the City of Tallahassee for $100, and we plan to claim a federal tax credit for heat pump dryers this coming year. 

Have you worked through any challenges with the heat pump dryer?

Heat pump dryers are a little smaller than regular dryers, but for my wife and I, it works well for us. If we still had both our kids living here, we may have needed a larger set.

Heat pump dryers are also more expensive than gas dryers, but we hope to defray that extra expense by not paying for gas and using electricity from our PV system and net metering. I hardly have noticed any increase in our electrical consumption since installing our heat pump dryer. 

Kent’s EV Purchase

What prompted you to spring for an EV at the end of 2024? 

I’d been thinking about getting an EV since we got our solar installed in 2021. I targeted sometime in 2025 because I’d done a lot of reading that there would be more of a selection then and prices may come down. But after the election, incoming President Trump said he was going to get rid of the EV tax credits, and it got me thinking, “Maybe now’s the time.” Plus, research says that if you’re going to buy a car, buy it at the end of the year. 

My wife and I looked at the Chevrolet Equinox EV but could not find one at the price we needed. On the way home from test driving the Equinox, we stopped at the Hyundai dealership to look at their EVs, and they happened to have several new 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6’s that had been sitting on their lot for between 500 and 600 days. We test-drove one, and we liked it even better than the Equinox EV– it was  very well equipped and drove great. Because the dealership wanted to move it to make room for the 2025 cars, we negotiated $12,000 off MSRP along with a 50-kilogram ChargePoint charger, which we paid an electrician to install in our garage.

As far as charging it goes, you’re supposed to charge it to between 20% and 80%, and for us that takes four hours using our level 2 EVSE/charger. The IONIQ 6 has an 800-volt system, so it charges quickly. 

Kent’s 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 charging in his garage, with his heat pump water heater present in the background. (Kent’s EV is plugged up to a 50-kilowatt level 2 charger, off-camera to the right.)

Joining Forces: PV, EV, & Heat Pumps

How do your home’s heat pumps and your EV charger work in tandem with your solar panel system? 

Our home has been powered by solar and net metering for four years. When we installed our photovoltaic (PV) system, we sized it to account for about 110% of our electricity needs. However, right after installing solar, we replaced our gas furnace and air conditioner with a heat pump HVAC, which uses a lot less electricity, and our PV system began consistently producing about 22% to 24% more solar power than we consume. 

That may not be the most economical thing for most people – you ideally want to install the amount of solar that you’re going to use because you don’t want to pay for more capacity than you need. But thanks to the City of Tallahassee’s net metering, we can save those excess kilowatt hours to use later, even though we don’t have batteries to store the excess electricity. Then, we use that balance of extra solar power to charge our new EV and essentially drive it for free, with the exception of making car payments for the next couple of years. I always thought that when we purchased an EV, we’d have to enlarge our solar panel system, but thanks to net metering, we don’t have to yet. 

The EV does take a good bit of electricity to charge, probably pulling around 40-kilowatt hours once or twice a week, which is what our particular solar panel system generates on a sunny day. Eventually we will run out of the excess kilowatt hours and may want to enlarge our system – especially if we purchase a second EV – but we’ll have to see how our production-consumption balance works out over time. 

How has the timing of your unique home energy journey worked well for your family? 

When we first installed our PV system, we weren’t thinking about replacing our old electric and gas appliances, and we didn’t have a grand plan to replace our gas appliances, which could have allowed us to anticipate these changes and expenses. We replaced our appliances incrementally and as necessary, which is how we could afford it.

The electricity we save from having the heat pump HVAC, heat pump water heater, and heat pump dryer is key to balancing our consumption with our PV electricity production so we don’t have an electric bill. Additional savings have come from eliminating the bill for our largest remaining uses of natural gas. This path has worked for us because of the age of our appliances, but it may not work for folks who have newer appliances.

You can read more about Kent’s path of clean energy home upgrades in his Part 1 blog. 

GET INVOLVED IN THE CLEAN ENERGY GENERATION 

Like Kent, we all have the power to create clean energy change in our lives, homes, or communities. Whether that be through upgrading to more energy-efficient appliances, spreading the word about clean energy tax credits and rebates in our community, or sharing what motivates you to fight for a safer, cleaner future we deserve to inspire others.

As members of the Clean Energy Generation, we’re alive during a time of unprecedented climate funding, support, and technology. No matter how uphill the battle may seem at times, we’re all in it together. If you’re looking for a place to start, join our next Clean Energy Generation member call every second Friday of the month, or check out other ways to take action below. 

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Read Kent’s Part 1 Blog

The post Kent Wimmer’s Home Energy Journey: Four Years, Four Heat Pumps, For the Climate appeared first on SACE | Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Kent Wimmer’s Home Energy Journey: Four Years, Four Heat Pumps, For the Climate