Washington State will require heat pumps in new homes and apartments starting in July 2023, the Washington State Building Code Board ruled Friday.
In April, the council passed a measure requiring the installation of heat pumps in new commercial buildings and large apartment buildings.
As a result, this heat pump mandate is now extended to all residences, making Washington state a leader in some of the most stringent building codes in the country that require appliances to be used, thereby reducing emissions.
Since 1990, emissions across the state as a whole have increased by 10 percent, and emissions from buildings have increased by 50 percent, more than any other source in our state.
As of 2020, 56 percent of Washington residents use electricity for heating, and 37 percent use natural gas or bottled gas, tanks, or LPG.
The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provides $4.5 billion in direct heat pump rebates for low- and middle-income households under the High Efficiency Appliance Rebate Act (HEEHRA). Low-income households will receive rebates of up to $8,000 to cover the full cost of space heating heat pump installations.
According to Rewiring America, under the home energy efficiency improvement loan, “households can deduct 30 percent of the cost of buying and installing a heat pump water heater or a space heating and cooling heat pump for up to $2,000.”
Air source heat pumps use refrigerant to extract heat from cold outside air and move it indoors when it’s cold, and to cool your home by extracting heat from warm indoor air when it’s hot outside.
New homes in Washington State will save money up front with rebates and tax credits, and save money in the long run as heat pumps can reduce electricity use by up to 50%. Emissions will also be reduced.
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Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor for Electrek and an editor for DroneDJ, 9to5Mac and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She previously worked for Fast Company, Guardian, News Deeply, Time and more. Message Michelle on Twitter or michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.