Dear Eartha, My boiler wheezes like it’s training for a marathon it will not finish, and everyone keeps telling me to “just get a heat pump.” I want to believe the hype, but I’d like to see the evidence before I make such a large upgrade.

Replacing your heating system is a big deal — after all, it’s not like a paint color you decide you hate a month after redoing your living room. And in our high-mountain community, it makes sense that you want confirmation that you won’t freeze in winter. Rest assured — heat pumps are worth the hype. Here’s why they are worth considering, plus an upcoming opportunity to get all your questions answered. 

Why the hype about heat pumps?

A heat pump doesn’t create heat — it moves it. Even when it’s cold, there’s still heat energy in the air. The heat pump pulls that heat from the outside air, concentrates it, and then releases it inside your home. It’s not magic, it’s physics. Because heat pumps don’t generate heat (like a boiler or furnace), they are actually more energy efficient than conventional heating technologies.

Here’s another amazing perk of having a heat pump. It can run in reverse – the same unit that heats your house in winter can also  cool it in summer. That’s right, you get air conditioning, too. That means no more stuffy home because you’ve been keeping windows shut during wildfire smoke season.

Heat pumps are also an important solution to the natural gas capacity constraint we’re facing in Summit County. To avoid the cost of building a new pipeline, Xcel Energy is incentivizing its gas customers to install heat pumps, which run on electricity. Even better, every year our electricity is cleaner and cleaner. In 2025, Xcel’s electricity grid in Colorado was 46% renewable. By 2030, it’ll be at least 80% renewable. This makes electrically powered cold climate heat pumps lean, mean, climate change fighting machines. 

The heat pump buzz isn’t limited to just Summit County or Colorado. Across the United States, heat pump installations have doubled in the past 15 years. In the first quarter of 2026, heat pump sales outpaced furnaces by over 30%. But what about your boiler? No problem. Whether you have a boiler, furnace, or even electric baseboard, there is a heat pump system that will work for your home. 

It’s time to electrify, Summit

But how do you know which type of heat pump will work in your house? And are there any Summit County locals who already have heat pumps? What do they think? These are excellent questions and the great news is that you’ll be able to ask them all at the upcoming Electrify Summit fair hosted by the High Country Conservation Center and several community partners. 

In addition to chatting with real-life heat pump owners, you’ll even be able to check out a heat pump. And in the spirit of helping you start your all-electric journey with whatever appliance makes the most sense for you, you’ll also find solar installers, energy efficiency experts, battery demos, and an induction stove. Can it actually boil water in 90 seconds? Come find out! 

Once you’ve covered the house, head over to the vehicle side of the lot. There’ll be electric vehicles (EVs) and e-bikes set up for test rides, plus EV charger installers on hand if you’re wondering what it takes to add a charger at home. I can promise you, 10 minutes behind the wheel of an EV will have you convinced that your next car should be electric. 

Come see, touch and test the future of home energy and transportation at the Electrify Summit Fair. Talk to residents who’ve ditched their gas stove for induction, swapped a boiler for a heat pump, or who will never go back to a gas combustion engine — and bring the kids, who can build their own solar-powered bugs while you talk shop. It all takes place Friday, August 14, from 3 to 7 p.m., in the south parking lot of Colorado Mountain College’s Breckenridge campus. 

Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at info@highcountryconservation.org.