Southcoast Heat Pumps

I started looking into heat pump systems seriously in January of 2022. While I’m interested in “green” technology, my interest was far more economic than environmental. Electric and gas prices were spiking in the run-up to the Ukraine War. And MassSave was offering a substantial rebate—$10,000—on heat pump heating systems. They were also offering a $750 rebate on heat pump hot water heaters.

I looked at both geothermal and air-to-air systems. I liked what I saw about geothermal, but worried about the cost of drilling. My home is built on a piece of granite ledge that isn’t easy to drill through. But I’m not an engineer or a geologist. And I had no way to figure out how big a system I’d need.

It was time to call in the experts.

Peter Cyr at Coastal Energy Services and I hit it off immediately. We talked at length about the benefits and drawbacks of both geothermal and air-to-air systems, about what I wanted to do with the unheated basement, about the possibility of doing a ducted system vs. a mini-split system. He was very patient and answered all my questions.

He agreed with my gut feeling about the expense of drilling for geothermal on my property: the expense would be prohibitive. I’d been told the ducting for central air had been put in place when the house was built—the grates were there so the ductwork should be. But it turned out only the grates were there. That meant mini-splits were the best answer to heating the entire house.

I decided to go with a hyper-heat system based on a Mitsubishi platform. Peter designed a five-zone system based on what we had talked about. We signed the paperwork and set a tentative installation date for mid-May.

Then I called MassSave who told me they couldn’t do the necessary inspection before mid-May and that all the work that inspection called for would have to be done before the heat pumps went in.

Peter had no problem with changing the date. Others were encountering similar problems. And the pandemic supply chain problems were proving an issue neither of us expected.

Then MassSave changed its protocols so that the insulation work wouldn’t have to be done until after the heat pumps went in.

That, too, didn’t bother Peter. His problem was finding the actual outdoor units in his initial proposal. Those units simply didn’t exist in any supply house anywhere.

Many contractors would have simply waited. Peter thought outside the box: He proposed using two smaller Mitsubishi units to heat the basement and great room and a single, similarly rated Fujitsu unit to heat the bedrooms?

I agreed to the change.

The system was installed late in June.

One of the problems I’ve seen with retrofitting a house to mini-splits is how cluttered the ducts on the outside of the house look. Peter and his team kept those ducts as clean looking as possible. They don’t entirely blend in but they don’t scream add-on either.

The rest of the install went quickly—and when they were done they made sure they cleaned up everything nicely.

The system is insanely efficient. We cooled the entire house last summer for less energy than it took to run one window air conditioner in the summer the year before. And it handled the -8F we had the first weekend in February without a hiccup.

And the heat pump hot water heater he installed at the same time keeps us in hot water even when we have guests—again, for a good price in energy usage.

By this time next year, I’ll have a clearer idea just how efficient this system is—but so far it looks like a very good choice.

One last thing you should know: Peter really believes in this technology. It’s how he heats his own house.

Peter was an excellent installer of my heatpump system. His team was very professional, neat, and tidy while working inside and outside the house. He worked with me along the way, keeping schedule updated, answering questions, and finding the best way to complete the job. I am very happy I found Coastal Energy Services and would recommend them to anyone!

In 2022, I wanted to take advantage of the generous MA Save rebates to upgrade to a new heat pump/ductless system from dirty oil & baseboard electric. Coastal Energy Services was listed as a provider and I'm thrilled I found them. Peter was most helpful in helping me understand the system and assisting me with the paperwork for the rebates. The installation was for 2 homes and they did a fantastic job. Professional, courteous, efficient, I can't say enough about what a great job they did! And with the rebates, it's a no-brainer! Highly recommended!