ACC News Brief
Sustainable Living United States
Heat pumps crossed 50% of new U.S. apartment buildings
What happened
Canary Media reported that 53% of new U.S. apartment buildings completed in 2025 used heat pumps, up from 46% in 2024. Heat pumps also appeared in 48% of newly completed single-family houses, and they have outsold gas furnaces nationally for four consecutive years.
Why it matters
New buildings shape energy use and household costs for decades. Efficient electric heat can reduce direct fossil-fuel combustion and pair with a cleaner grid, but real-world benefits still depend on equipment sizing, refrigerants, building envelopes, electricity prices, installation quality, and cold-weather performance.
What to watch
- Whether heat-pump adoption continues as federal, state, utility, and building-code policies change.
- Installation quality, tenant energy bills, and performance during extreme heat and cold.
- Refrigerant transitions and upgrades to insulation, ventilation, and electrical service.
Sources & evidence
- Canary Media report on heat pumps in new apartment buildingsReport published August 20, 2026, citing U.S. Census Bureau building data for 2025 completions.
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