No town we serve has a higher share of oil heat than Wilmington, where about 53% of homes still burn it. Clement Boston Heat Pumps designs each heat pump installation in Wilmington, MA for that starting point: an oil boiler or furnace in the basement, a tank beside it, and often a separate air conditioner in the attic.
The rebate follows the power company. Wilmington buys its electricity from the Reading Municipal Light Department, so RMLD’s program pays, not Mass Save.
Why oil, and what replaces it
Most of Wilmington was built after the war, and only about a third of its homes heat with gas. About 85% are detached houses and fewer than 8% predate 1940, so the typical job is a postwar colonial, cape or ranch.
The running cost
Oil is the most expensive common heating fuel per delivered BTU, and propane, at about 8% of homes, is close behind. A cold-climate heat pump on winter power costs less to run than either; our heat pump vs oil guide shows the derivation.
The tank
When the boiler or furnace comes out, the tank goes too, under the fire department’s permit. That ends deliveries, the tank’s upkeep and the smell in the basement; see oil tank removal.
Three common starting points
What’s in your basement and attic decides the scope more than square footage does. Postwar colonials and capes tend to start from one of three setups.
Oil furnace with ducts
The ducts already reach every room. We read static pressure, size the return and seal the plenum, then set a heat pump air handler in the furnace’s place; see oil to heat pump conversion.
Oil boiler with attic air conditioning
Many 1970s and 1980s colonials heat with a boiler and cool the bedrooms with an attic AC. The attic air handler becomes a heat pump unit on the same ducts, and the first floor gets a basement system. See attic air handlers and replacing AC with a heat pump.
Oil boiler, no ducts
A cape or ranch with baseboard and window units needs new ducts. A basement air handler with floor registers is often enough for a ranch; a cape adds a closet riser for the dormers.
RMLD’s rebate, loan and weatherization money
RMLD serves Reading, North Reading, Wilmington and Lynnfield Center. Its residential program covers customers who install heat pumps at their primary home in its territory.
| RMLD program | Amount |
|---|---|
| New heat pump | Up to $11,500 |
| Replacement heat pump | Up to $7,500 |
| 0% loan | Up to $40,000, instead of the rebate |
| Weatherization | Up to $3,500 |
Which amount applies to your job is RMLD’s decision; we confirm it before ordering. Air sealing with the weatherization money first can lower the load and the system size, which trims both the price and the running cost.
Propane homes
About 8% of Wilmington homes burn propane, against about 4% in Reading next door. Propane costs less than oil per delivered BTU but more than a heat pump on winter power.
What changes
A propane furnace or boiler comes out like an oil one, and a leased tank goes back to the supplier. If the range or dryer stays on propane, a smaller tank or cylinders stay with it. Propane homes apply to RMLD’s program, the same as oil homes.
Where the outdoor unit sits
Wilmington’s lots are larger than the inner suburbs’, which gives more choice. The best spot is close to the air handler, out of the roof’s drip line and away from bedroom windows next door.
Snow and defrost
The unit sits on a stand above the snow line, with room for defrost water to drain and freeze below the coil, not on it. Local sound and setback rules are confirmed per address; see our outdoor unit placement guide.
Panels, sizing and backup
An oil house rarely needed much power for heat, so a 100-amp service is common. A ducted heat pump and its strips add a large load, which makes the panel check part of the first visit.
The panel
We total existing loads against the service. Many houses carry a right-sized system as they are; when one can’t, our typical range for a service upgrade, usually 100 to 200 amps, is $3,000 to $6,500. See panel upgrades.
Sizing for an inland town
Wilmington sits inland, north of Route 128, where cold nights run harder than at the harbor. We size each room at the town’s design temperature and pick equipment by its output at 5°F; see heat pump sizing and backup heat settings.
Outages
A heat pump stops in a power outage, as an oil boiler does, since the burner and circulator need electricity too. The difference is the load: a heat pump draws far more than a boiler’s controls. Our power outage guide covers standby generators sized for it.
Paperwork, rebates and code in Wilmington
The town’s building department issues the permits, and the exact set is confirmed per address. Wilmington is on the base energy code, with no stretch or specialized adoption.
| What | The Wilmington figure |
|---|---|
| Electric utility | Reading Municipal Light Department |
| Gas utility | National Grid |
| Energy code | Base code |
| Heating fuel | Oil 53.1%, gas 32.0%, propane 8.4%, electricity 4.9% |
| Detached houses | 84.5% of homes |
On ducts we can reuse, our typical range for a whole-home system is $15,000 to $28,000 and up before rebates. The cost guide explains what moves it.
The order of work in a Wilmington house
The first visit looks at the basement, the attic and the panel together, because in an oil house all three shape the price. You get the RMLD option, the panel answer and the duct plan in one written estimate.
- Visit: load calculation, duct tests where ducts exist, routes where they don’t, panel and outdoor spot.
- Estimate: equipment with 5°F capacity, ducts, electrical, tank removal, permits, the RMLD option and price.
- Install: three to eight working days, then the boiler and tank leave.
- Commissioning: nitrogen test, deep vacuum, weighed charge, airflow readings and the strip lockout recorded.
Nearby: Tewksbury, Billerica and Burlington; Reading shares RMLD.