CFREE Tip #5: Finding a Heat Pump Contractor

Are you considering installing heat pumps but don’t know how to choose someone who can recommend a system, give you a cost estimate, and install the equipment? The good news is that there are plenty of resources to help you do that, as outlined below.

General Approach

Seek recommendations and price quotes from multiple contractors (three is a good number). That way you can compare not only prices but also equipment and different ideas for implementation. A short fact sheet that includes questions to ask potential contractors is linked here; a good webinar video on “How to find a good HVAC contractor” is linked here.

Finding Potential Contractors

An easy way to start is to check the list of service providers recommended on LincolnTalk, maintained by Alice Waugh, editor of The Lincoln Squirrel. You can find the list at lincolnsquirrel.com at the blue button “LincolnTalk Recommendations.”

Further afield, you can access a spreadsheet listing nine installers of air-source heat pumps who serve the Arlington area. This list was created by Electrify Arlington (whose mission is very similar to CFREE’s), who distributed a Request for Information in February 2025 and winnowed down the responses through a process

described on their website. To determine if a contractor on that list serves Lincoln, consult the MassSave spreadsheet described in the following section.

The broadest list of heat pump installers you could access is maintained by MassSave. (You access it by going here and clicking on “Download the spreadsheet.”) Contractors on this list have provided proof of EPA certification, insurance, and completion of heat pump installation training. These are not high bars, but at least the totally unqualified should be absent from the list.

Last, you can also search for contractors who have trained with a specific manufacturer such as:

• Mitsubishi: Under “Find Local Contractors,” you can enter your zip code to find installers, along with review ratings and how much training each has done with the manufacturer. At the highest level of training, Mitsubishi gives longer warranties on their work.

• Carrier: You can also enter your zip code here to find “Carrier Authorized” contractors and indications as to how they have been rated on other review sites.

  If you have questions about the process of finding and hiring a contractor, reach out to the Lincoln Green Coaches program. They can’t recommend contractors, but would be happy to answer other questions and provide guidance. Email Lincolngreencoach@gmail.com.

  Belinda Gingrich and Michael Moodie, on behalf of CFREE

  CFREE (Carbon Free Residential - Everything Electric) is a subcommittee of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee. CFREE provides guidance on how households can reduce use of fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions to help Massachusetts meet statewide emissions limits set for 2030, 2040, and 2050. It also provides information about state and federal incentives that help reduce the cost of such changes. For guidance on such projects at your home, contact: Lincolngreencoach@gmail.com. For more information visit: lincolngreenenergy.org.