Neighbors’ heat pump group buys cut prices for homeowners

neighbors’ heat – In Boston, a condo owner went from $28,000–$40,000 quotes and stalled plans to a $20,000 ductless minisplit system through a neighbor-led bulk-buy program—then watched her energy bills fall and her cat recover in comfort. Across the U.S., group-buy initiatives

When Marie Tai looked at the quotes for a heat pump, she felt her momentum stall. Three contractors offered prices ranging from about $28,000 to $40,000 for her 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom condo in Boston. The numbers seemed excessive—especially as Summers in her neighborhood have been getting more intense in a rapidly warming climate.

She had other reasons to hesitate too. Her 16-year-old cat, Mittens, was still recovering after being hit by a car. Tai’s window air-conditioning units were borderline ineffective, even running at full blast. She needed a better way to keep the place cool and comfortable. but she didn’t want to commit to a project that felt out of reach.

Last spring, Tai renewed her search. Through Facebook. she found an opportunity to participate in a program that aggregates demand. organized by Laminar Collective. a local startup that does research on the tech and coordinates installations. The offer appealed to her because it promised something rare in home electrification: less time chasing sales leads. lower equipment costs through bulk purchasing. and savings installers can pass on to customers.

A representative from Laminar Collective visited her home to check what size and configuration would fit her needs. After that, Tai signed up for a ductless minisplit system for $20,000—thousands less than even her lowest initial quote. She also took advantage of an additional $8,500 state rebate and eight-year financing with 0% interest.

Tai says the change has been life-changing. She no longer has to buy fuel oil for heating in the winter. The heat pump is so efficient that last year she saved roughly $1,300 on her energy bills. And unlike the old, noisy window air-conditioning units, the new wall-mounted, air-filtering indoor units are “so quiet,” she said. Her allergy symptoms have improved. Mittens is comfortable and doing well, she noted. “I couldn’t be happier.”.

Tai’s story is showing up in a growing number of neighborhoods. where homeowners are increasingly signing up together for heat pumps—often for discounts in the range of about 10% to 20%. Those percentage savings can translate to roughly $3,000 to $6,000 per installation. The bulk-buy model works like a different kind of consumer move: buying in volume rather than bargaining one home at a time.

This approach is picking up urgency as federal incentives for electrification are being dismantled. The Trump administration has targeted heat pump support in recent months. Last year, a Republican-led Congress eliminated a $2,000 federal tax credit for home heat pumps. Late last month. the administration said it won’t allow home energy-efficiency rebates to be used by people looking to get off gas.

Even when heat pumps reduce pollution and typically cut owners’ energy bills, the upfront costs can still hit hard. Whole-home installations typically range from $17. 000 to $30. 000. depending on the property size. insulation. climate. and other factors. according to electrification advocacy nonprofit Rewiring America. For many households, the barrier isn’t the long-term savings—it’s the first invoice.

“You can have sticker shock,” said Cole Merrick, founder and CEO of VoltHub, an online heat-pump installation marketplace. He pointed to how price uncertainty and large initial quotes can slow decisions, even when customers want to electrify.

That’s where group buys come in. VoltHub and heat-pump general contractor Vayu organized a California group-buy program this spring for the counties of Los Angeles and Orange and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. They’re offering another one this summer.

Vayu’s founder and CEO. Shreyas Sudhakar. said most heating. ventilation. and air-conditioning replacements are emergencies. and those jobs still make up the majority of Vayu’s business. But for households that can hold off on getting a heat pump installed, group buys are ideal. He described how these programs come with a waiting period—several weeks to about six months—while slots fill up and the installer determines final pricing. The installer then confirms individual quotes with customers. who can decide not to move forward without penalty and schedule the work if they do.

The “together” part of group buys can take different forms. Initiatives may be organized at the grassroots level. offered by a contractor. or run by a third party that aggregates demand over a limited time window. Through a competitive bidding process. the third party vets qualified installers and selects one or more to carry out the jobs.

The collective bargaining approach has worked before in other home energy upgrades. Nonprofit Solar United Neighbors has led similar group buys for rooftop solar since 2007, helping thousands of households secure net deals on installations.

Now. Solar United Neighbors is partnering with iChoosr—an international company that helps households electrify—to offer group deals for heat pumps as well. Using iChoosr’s Switch Together platform. households in select areas can sign up to unlock group discounts for all-electric heat pumps as well as solar and batteries. Fred Wu, a director of community engagement for iChoosr, said that since 2023, more than 5,100 U.S. homeowners have gotten their solar panels or batteries via iChoosr. The company earns a fee from participating vetted installers for jobs it gets through the platform.

iChoosr had already been running bulk-purchasing programs for heat pumps in the U.K. and the Netherlands, and it launched its first offerings in the U.S. last year with Solar United Neighbors. It opened a program in the Colorado Front Range and another in the Washington, D.C., area in July. Those lists closed in September, and installations—about 90 households—were completed by the end of the year.

After that initial U.S. rollout, iChoosr reran group buys in both regions this spring. More than 1,000 households have signed up expressing interest so far.

Next steps are already on the schedule. This year, iChoosr will launch new programs in the metro areas of Houston and Dallas, Chicagoland, and northern Arizona around Flagstaff. The partnerships are being built with nonprofits and local governments at no cost to them, Wu said.

For contractors, group buys can also reduce friction in a seasonal business. Elephant Energy. a home electrification contractor working with iChoosr to deploy the Colorado heat-pump installations. saves about $300 per project. said CEO and co-founder DR Richardson. Elephant has also run its own community bulk buys across California, Colorado, and Massachusetts.

Sudhakar described why smoothing demand matters. Heating. ventilation. and air-conditioning work is highly seasonal. with most people calling an HVAC technician during the first heat wave or cold snap. “For a lot of businesses, two months will make up 70% to 80% of the revenue for the year,” Sudhakar said. Guaranteed revenue helps fill downtime.

Still, group-buy programs aren’t everywhere. Wu said homeowners who want a bulk deal but aren’t in a rush should contact city and county leaders to ask for it. “We’re continuously trying to expand the program,” Wu said. “The first thing we need … is a local government that wants to bring this to their constituents.” Those local partnerships also help by lending credibility and visibility. since local governments can promote the programs.

Back in Boston, Tai’s experience made the offer feel tangible rather than theoretical. She was grateful for Laminar Collective’s bulk buy—not only because it helped her save money. but also because it gave her time to get her questions answered without the sales pressure she felt from one-on-one solicitations. After she told a neighbor about what happened, they secured their own heat pump that way.

Tai’s satisfaction is the part that lingers. The math mattered—quotes dropping from roughly $28. 000 to $40. 000 down to $20. 000 after the group-buy deal. plus an $8. 500 state rebate and eight-year financing at 0% interest. But what ultimately changed her daily life was the quiet. efficient system: no fuel oil in winter. about $1. 300 in energy bill savings last year. and a home where a recovering cat could breathe easier. “It’s empowering,” she said.

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