New York City is investing nearly $40 million to bring clean heating and cooling to more than 700 homes at a public housing complex in the Rockaways. Announced on Wednesday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the $38.4 million investment will install clean, reliable heat pumps in 712 apartments at NYCHA’s Beach 41st Houses in Edgemere, among the first NYCHA residences to receive custom-designed heat pumps under the agency’s “Clean Heat for All” initiative. The initiative aims to expand clean heat pump installations to more than 10,000 NYCHA apartments by 2030.
“Today’s $38.4 million investment in heat pumps at the Beach 41st NYCHA Houses is about dignity, safety, and climate justice,” Mamdani said. “It means hundreds of working-class New Yorkers in the Rockaways can heat their homes reliably while we cut emissions at the same time. This is what it looks like when we understand that the fight for a livable planet and livable housing are in fact one and the same.”
The heat pumps being installed at the five-building Queens complex were developed through the Clean Heat for All Challenge, launched by NYCHA, the NY Power Authority, and the State Energy Research and Development Authority in 2021.
Following a competitive submission process involving multiple heating and cooling manufacturers, Midea and Gradient were awarded contracts to develop up to 30,000 heat pumps for NYCHA homes. So far, 150 units have been installed at the Woodside Houses, and NYCHA has since purchased an additional 5,000 systems.
In December, 1,600 apartments at the Bay View Houses closed financing as the first Permanent Affordability Commitment Together development to use the Clean Heat for All heat pumps. NYCHA is currently assessing the suitability of other developments for future installations.
The Clean Heat for All initiative completed its initial demonstration phase in June 2024, with early results showing significant improvements. Pilot apartments equipped with heat pumps maintained more consistent and comfortable indoor temperatures during the winter compared to units relying on traditional steam heating.
Additionally, the systems were able to maintain set temperatures during the coldest periods of the heating season while using less energy overall. According to NYCHA, 89 percent of resident feedback on the new pumps has been positive.
Early results averaged across both manufacturers showed an 86 percent reduction in energy required for space heating. Additional findings pointed to a 50 percent decrease in heating energy costs, delivering substantial savings despite electricity’s higher cost relative to gas.
“This investment shows how smart policy can address our housing crisis and climate crisis at the same time. These heat pumps will be cheaper and more efficient, cut emissions, and improve residents’ lives at Beach 41st Street Houses,” Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for housing and planning, said.
“The Clean Heat for All program is proof using the city’s investment and purchasing power creatively can drive progress across the city, and that is the creativity that we will bring to bear to address the housing crisis for all New Yorkers.”
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