Paul Hennessy // NurPhoto via Getty ImagesInstalling heat pumps in factories could save $1.5 trillion and 77,000 livesFor several years, heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces in the United States. Because heat pumps move heat instead of generating it, they’re several times more efficient than even the best gas furnaces. So industrial air pollution isn’t happening in a vacuum — it’s joining an atmosphere crowded with toxicants from many other sources. “I think the big surprise, in many ways, is how big the health benefits truly are.”Like any technology, heat pumps are getting cheaper and more efficient as adoption increases. Several states, including New York, California, and Colorado, have provided funding for industries to adopt heat pumps, Hoffmeister said, and others could provide still more.