Homeowners Association (HOA) Heat Pump Adoption Program

Boulder County and several partners are proud to launch the Homeowners Association (HOA) Heat Pump Adoption Assistance Program. This program aims to support HOAs and their residents in transitioning communities to efficient, electric heat pump HVAC systems.

Boulder County recognizes the unique barriers often faced by multifamily buildings/communities, and aims to provide cost savings and project management support through bulk purchasing and/or installation (see Program Background, below). This program intends to support HOA communities with the following:

• Dedicated project management and community engagement
• HOA board and homeowner support for architectural review compliance
• A highly qualified contractor vetted through a County-led competitive RFP process
• Competitive pricing and quality installation with cost savings via a coordinated purchase model

Can my community participate?

Boulder County is seeking new communities to join this program. Your community may be a good fit if:

• You live in a townhome or condominium-style HOA in Boulder County
• You are interested in heat pumps as an efficient heating and cooling solution
• You do not have established HOA processes for heat pumps or are struggling with adoption and best practices

If you are an HOA member, HOA/multifamily community resident, or property manager who is interested in participating or learning more, please reach out to program lead Andy Kadlec at akadlec@bouldercounty.gov.

Pilot Project Results

In 2025, Boulder County partnered with Xcel Energy, the City of Boulder, Daiken and Rewiring America to test a small-scale group heat pump purchase in one HOA neighborhood in South Boulder.

Throughout the pilot, two HOAs received support from the project team in multiple areas, including architectural review guidance, updates to HOA guidelines to ensure consistency in unit installation, and a coordinated group purchase and installation program to provide savings for homeowners.

By early 2026, 47 households had installed cold climate heat pump systems, with an estimated savings of up to 40% compared to market rate. These heat pump systems added central cooling and replaced inefficient electric baseboard heat with high efficiency air source heat pumps.

Lessons learned from this pilot project have informed the design of the program now offered county-wide.

Two heat pump installations, one upstairs and one downstairs, at an HOA property during the pilot project.

A heat pump installation at an HOA property during the pilot project.

Program Background

Approximately 45% of Coloradans live in housing governed by an HOA, and Boulder County has seen a demonstrated need for additional resources and support for these homeowners who are considering heat pumps as a solution for their heating and cooling needs.

Multifamily homes, like condominiums and townhomes, and HOA-government communities, can present unique challenges for many types of upgrades, including upgrading to heat pump technology. These challenges include:

• Shared walls can make installing external lines challenging
• Many HOAs have strict architectural requirements for outdoor units, and these rules often have not been updated to reflect modern technology options
• Sharing decision-making across multiple stakeholders and approval processes can draw out timelines and increase confusion

The services provided by this program aim to ease these challenges and establish new structures to promote continued efficiency efforts in the future.