Heat Pumps Quietly Became the Default in New US Apartments
In 2025, 53% of new apartment buildings in the US came equipped with heat pumps, up from 46% the year before, according to Census Bureau data. New houses were not far behind at 48%, up from 45%. Heat pumps have now outsold gas furnaces four years running, and burning fossil fuels in buildings accounts for nearly a tenth of total US greenhouse gas emissions, so which box gets bolted to the wall matters more than it sounds. The interesting detail here is why it kept happening. The federal tax credit that paid developers up to $5,000 per efficient housing unit expired last month, and the shift carried on regardless, because skipping a gas line saves real money before anyone mentions climate. A New Mexico developer told Canary Media that going all-electric cuts about $3,000 per lot, roughly $13.5 million across a 4,500-lot development he has coming. Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute has a name for what that produces in states with no climate policy at all: "We are getting accidental electrification."In 2025, 53% of new apartment buildings in the US came equipped with heat pumps, up from 46% the year before, according to Census Bureau data. New houses were not far behind at 48%, up from 45%. Heat pumps have now outsold gas furnaces four years running, and burning fossil fuels in buildings accounts for nearly a tenth of total US greenhouse gas emissions, so which box gets bolted to the wall matters more than it sounds. The interesting detail here is why it kept happening. The federal tax credit that paid developers up to $5,000 per efficient housing unit expired last month, and the shift carried on regardless, because skipping a gas line saves real money before anyone mentions climate. A New Mexico developer told Canary Media that going all-electric cuts about $3,000 per lot, roughly $13.5 million across a 4,500-lot development he has coming. Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute has a name for what that produces in states with no climate policy at all: "We are getting accidental electrification."Expert summary pending. Showing the newcomer version.