Eastside Cities Launch ‘Make the Switch’ Campaign to Electrify Homes
Published on November 29, 2023
Media Contact:
Sue Romero
Communications Program Coordinator
sromero@kirklandwa.gov
(425) 587-3017
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Energy Smart Eastside is launching a “Make the Switch” campaign to encourage eastside residents to switch to fully electric heating and cooling through heat pump incentives. Fully electric and highly energy efficient heat pumps are a critical part of a regional strategy for greening homes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, and helping communities prepare for climate impacts by increasing access to cooling. Heat pumps can also be less expensive to operate than some forms of heating or cooling, such as portable AC or baseboard heating.
The Make the Switch campaign connects eastside households to contractors who can help homeowners benefit from available incentives from Mitsubishi, Puget Sound Energy, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Households at 150% or below of Area Median Income also qualify for Energy Smart Eastside’s $1,500 Fuel Switch rebate. In total, residents can save up to $6,400 by switching to a heat pump through Make the Switch.
Energy Smart Eastside is a joint program of the Eastside Climate Partnership, made up of the Cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, and Redmond.
“Many new homes constructed in Washington State are now built exclusively with heat pump technology, which means those homes have cost efficient air cooling, even and comfortable heating, and a really low carbon footprint,” said Energy Smart Eastside Program Manager Sarah Phillips. “We know residents in existing homes need more financial support to make the switch to heat pumps as their furnaces reach end-of-life.”
Households can get started on making the switch to a heat pump today by visiting https://www.energysmarteastside.org/maketheswitch.
###
Interested in receiving City of Kirkland news right in your inbox? Subscribe to This Week in Kirkland.
Looking for help or information? Report non-emergency issues, request services, and ask questions through Our Kirkland.