New funding will install free or low-cost heat pumps in eligible adult family homes and family home child cares

King County’s Energize program is set to install its first heat pump in an adult family home after expanding with funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act. Previously, King County Energize focused on single-family homes; now, many adult family homes such as long-term care facilities, along with dozens of family home child cares, will be eligible for a free or low-cost installation.

Energize, which provides free or low-cost energy upgrades for eligible homes, is an effort to reduce emissions and ensure frontline communities have access to clean, efficient and comfortable heating in the winter and cooling during increasingly hotter summers and extreme heat events.

Energize launched as a pilot program targeting single-family homeowners and renters in several South King County neighborhoods, and has since expanded to serve adult family homes and family home child care centers with funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act.

“The Energize program is helping residents from frontline communities switch to cleaner and more affordable home heating and cooling systems,” Energize program manager Neil Larsen said. “This helps meet the county’s climate action goals to lower utility costs, reduce carbon emissions, and increase climate resilience.”

Heat pumps provide energy-efficient heating in the winter and cooling in the summer in a way that reduces emissions and lowers energy costs. In some cases, applicants did not have a working heating system before applying to Energize; in others, the technology helped households move away from expensive and polluting heating oil furnaces and offer lower energy costs.

Energize previously reached a milestone of 100 installs within single-family homes. Three quarters of installations were 100% paid for by Energize, going to households at or below 80% or less of the area median income.

This year, Energize expanded with several awards from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The state awarded $2.6 million through the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program to go toward single-family homes and family home child cares, and another $1.5 million for installs and upgrades in adult family homes. The state Department of Ecology also put $2.3 million toward efforts to improve indoor air quality in homes, family home child care centers, and adult family homes near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.

The Energize program reduces climate pollution by replacing older, fossil fuel powered systems with heat pumps powered by clean electricity, creates jobs by hiring local contractors, and improves public health by protecting residents from unsafe temperatures and improving air quality.

• To learn more about the program, attend an upcoming workshop or apply to be a recipient or contractor, visit kingcounty.gov/energize.
• The program also addresses concerns as laid out in the county’s first Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy and the Strategic Climate Action plan (SCAP). The county will release its 2025 SCAP later this year; sign up at bit.ly/kcclimatenews to receive updates.