Heat recovery fans extract heat from indoor air and transfer it to fresh outdoor air to reduce energy consumption.
In another ambitious step towards California’s zero-emissions goal, state regulators voted Thursday to approve a plan to ban the sale of commercial and residential gas-fired heaters by 2030 — a decision that means alternative heating technologies powered by electricity could soon become more common. in state.
The California Air Resources Board’s unanimous decision is part of a larger state plan to reduce ozone emissions from industries including transportation and consumer products, as well as commercial and residential buildings.
It comes shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a string of climate bills that would require the state to become carbon neutral by 2045, get 90% of its electricity from clean energy by 2035, and do other things as the states grapple with change. climate. A climate that creates extreme weather and fuels the state’s increasingly destructive wildfires.
Regulators say the key to phasing out natural gas will be heat pump technology, which is widely used in Europe but less common in the US.
Galeries Lafayette City Council member Guo Weitai, who installed the heat pump system in 2019, said the refurbishment process went faster than he expected.
Heat pumps, which rely solely on electricity, work by moving heat. While there are various types, including geothermal, the most common type is an air source heat pump, which uses air to cool or heat your home. When it’s cold outside, the heat pump takes heat energy from outside and transfers it to your home; when it’s hot, they draw in hot air from the inside and push the heat out.
They usually have an outdoor unit and an indoor unit through which the refrigerant circulates. Refrigerants that can absorb or release heat are the means of transferring heat energy. The temperature is controlled by a thermostat.
According to the California Air Resources Board, residential and commercial buildings account for about 5 percent of emissions statewide due to natural gas use, while 90 percent of all building-related natural gas needs are for space heating and hot water. water supply.
Only about 11 percent of U.S. households currently use a heat pump, according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Michigan. Another study by the San Francisco Natural Resources Defense Council found that switching from natural gas to electric heating could cut California households’ annual emissions by 46% to 54%.
Numerous studies have shown that while heat pumps currently operate in a variety of climates, they are particularly well suited to temperate climates such as the Bay Area where extreme cold is rare. Heat pumps have a harder time extracting heat from the air at extremely low temperatures, although experts say the technology is improving.
The technology is gaining popularity. State and local incentives are driving more people to use these systems, and demand is higher than ever, said Brian Crosson, sales manager for Bell Bros., a Sacramento and East-based HVAC and plumbing company. -Bay.
“Over the past year, we have seen a huge growth in the heat pump business,” he said, including himself.
“If you personally asked me to change my gas system to electric two or three years ago, I would have refused, but I only replaced my system three months ago,” he said. “I switched to heat pumps and a lot of that was down to trust in the reliability of these systems and how many discounts and incentives I was able to get.”
The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Biden this year provides for discounts on heat pumps. It offers a 30% tax credit of up to $2,000 to anyone who installs a heat pump and rebates of up to $8,000 depending on income level. California is offering a $3,000 rebate on single-family home heat pump installations through Tech Clean California, depending on where you live. In addition, local governments and utilities often offer their own incentives.
According to Crosson, conversion doesn’t always have to be a big project. For a home that already has a gas heating and air conditioning system and wants to replace it, a heat pump system can often be combined — “it can be sort of a replacement,” he said.
For Galeries Lafayette City Councilman Wei-Tai Kwok, who installed a heat pump system in 2019, the conversion went faster than he expected.
Galeries Lafayette City Council member Guo Weitai, who has phased out natural gas, showed off an electrically heated water tank in his home.
As he explained in his March presentation of a heat pump at the Bay Area District Energy Network local government coalition, his entire project involved not only powering his heating and air conditioning system, but also his stove, fireplace and water heater. It took 45 days, which was a surprise because he thought it would “take a long time and be very difficult”.
But problems remain: First, the initial costs can be very high. For example, Guo’s heat pump cost him $27,000. While Crossen said the heat pump system itself costs as much as a gas-fired electric system if you install it from scratch, people may be reluctant to switch and pay for an expensive new system unless their gas heater is running low.
Both Crosson and Kwok noted that the new incentives and discounts are helping to significantly reduce upfront costs.
In addition, the Bell Bros. service manager. Chris Silberman said that once a heat pump is installed, it can cost more to run than a traditional system, depending on local utility rates. While heat pumps are more energy efficient—meaning you can get more heat for your dollar, he says—electricity itself can be more expensive than natural gas.
However, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, air source heat pumps can produce up to three times as much heat as they consume, meaning that for homes that already use some electricity for heating with electric stoves or baseboard heaters, they can reduce electricity consumption by 50%.
Installation presented another challenge: Kwok and another San Rafael homeowner, Sarah Spengeman, who is also associate director of communications at climate think tank Energy Innovation, said at the forum that finding contractors to install heat pumps was more difficult than their own. expectations. Many people are not experienced with this technology or think that the device is not as good as a conventional gas electric system.
A market report produced for the California Public Utilities Commission this year found that awareness of heat pumps among new home trade allies is growing but remains low: it says only 5 percent of California architects are aware of heat pumps.
But both Goh and Shpingerman say the benefits of these systems outweigh the downsides, especially as they are both looking for a more sustainable way to heat and cool their homes.
Guo says the system is quiet, keeping the room warm and cool, while Spengeman says it works well for her family even on the hottest and coldest days.
“It’s like central heating,” she said. “We’ve been comfortable for the last few years.”
Silberman points to another benefit: Heat pump systems are safer than stoves because they don’t use gas at all, meaning there’s no chance of gas leaking into the home.
If you’re looking to install a heat pump, Crosson and Silberman point out that it’s important to make sure you make the most of it and take advantage of all available discounts. They say it’s best to seek professional help.
“Every home is unique, so it’s best to get a reputable contractor to give you an estimate,” Crosson said.
Daniel Echeverria is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
Daniel Echeverria is an engagement and breaking news reporter for The Chronicle. She recently received a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University, where she received the Nicholas Roosevelt Environmental Journalism Award for her coverage of agriculture, climate change and worker safety. She previously interned at The Chronicle at Business Channel and Big Local News, specializing in data journalism. She is from Bakersfield, California.