Canary Media Article Author: Alison F. Takemura – Published: 2025-08-15
Industrial heat pumps have the potential to revolutionize public health and climate action. A new study highlighted in Canary Media shows that replacing fossil-fuel-burning boilers in U.S. factories with electric heat pumps could save $1.1 trillion in health costs and prevent over 77,000 pollution-related deaths by 2050. While heat pumps currently supply just 5% of industrial heat, scaling up adoption would also cut 1.6 billion metric tons of CO₂ emissions. It’s a win-win for cleaner air and a safer climate.
Industrial heat is responsible for 9% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Electrifying this sector with heat pumps is a major opportunity for climate and public health gains.
Industrial boilers burning fossil fuels are major sources of air pollution and greenhouse gases, contributing to asthma, heart attacks, and premature deaths.
The American Lung Association study estimates that transitioning 33,500 low- and medium-temperature boilers (<200°C) to electric heat pumps could:
- Save $1.1 trillion in public health costs
- Prevent 77,200 deaths, 33 million asthma attacks, 204,000 new asthma cases, 13 million lost school days, and 3.4 million lost work days (2030–2050)
- Cut 1.6 billion metric tons of CO₂ emissions by 2050 (worth $351 billion in avoided climate costs)
Policy recommendations: Incentives for manufacturers, education campaigns, and regulations to require nonpolluting equipment. California is leading with a phased ban on combustion boilers starting in 2026.
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