Join Us on May 20th for New Heat Pump Waiver Program Lunch & Learn
Interested in adopting new, cleaner, efficient technology in your home? Goleta is making that easier for you with its new Heat Pump Free Waiver Program. This pilot program just started and will run until funds are exhausted. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity if you live in a single or multi-family residence to replace your natural gas space or water heating unit with an electric heat pump.
To learn more, join us for the Electrify Goleta Lunch & Learn on May 20 at noon. Hear directly from the City’s Sustainability team about the features of heat pumps and the benefits of electrification. You’ll also hear from representatives of Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and the Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) about the different financial incentives they provide to make it easier to electrify, with a Q&A session at the end. Register today at https://tinyurl.com/ElectrifyGoleta.
Background:
Electric heat pumps operate differently from traditional water heaters and cooling/heating systems. Instead of burning fossil fuels in the home, such as gas to create heat that warms water, an electric heat pump draws in heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to the water. Likewise, a standard heater or furnace will burn fossil fuels to generate heat that warms space, and traditional air conditioning units operate by moving heat from inside the building to outside with both systems performing just their one function: heating or cooling. An electric heat pump can both heat and cool, by moving heat from inside the home to outside in the summer and drawing heat in from outside during winter.
Electric Heat Pump Benefits:
- More energy efficient and cost efficient
- Safer to operate (removing risk of flammable gas leaks and fumes)
- Improves quality of indoor air (reduces health issues such as asthma, particularly for children)
Why You Should Jump on this Opportunity:
Installing heat pumps can require getting different city permits: a plumbing permit and potentially an electrical permit for heat pump water heater projects, and a mechanical and electrical permit for HVAC systems. These permit fees for a typical small residential project normally cost around $300. Goleta’s heat pump permit fee waiver program will waive those fees for qualifying heat pump projects and is designed to be utilized with other financial incentives and rebates available from utilities, state, and regional government programs to reduce the cost of converting household gas appliances to electric heat pumps.
Additional Incentives:
3CE, the city’s community choice energy provider, offers Electrify Your Home program rebates of $1,000 for heat pump water heaters and $2,000 for heat pump HVAC systems, with a further $500 for water heaters and $1,000 for HVAC systems available for those who are income qualified. 3CE further offers up to $1,000 towards preliminary work updating electrical panels or wiring if upgrades are needed. 3C-REN offers Home Energy Savings for single-family residences, including up to $750 for heat pump HVAC projects and $750 for heat pump water heaters—the number may increase to $1,500 if your project meets certain equity criteria. If you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District’s (APCD) Heat Clean Program offers a voucher from $5,000-$12,000 to replace it with an electric heat pump (amount varies based on low-income home or community). California also provides home electrification and appliance rebates through its HEEHRA program: up to $8,000 for single-family household heat pump HVAC system and $14,000 for multifamily homes installing heat pumps for space or water heating. (The APCD and HEEHRA programs are currently fully reserved and are accepting applications to include on a waitlist—check for details and instructions on their websites.)
Making a Difference:
California is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and curbing the burning of fossil fuels in buildings is an essential part of that mission. In Goleta, as much as 40% of the community’s energy-based GHG emissions come from using gas to heat buildings. The City is committed to reducing financial barriers to electrifying homes and helping Goletans get ahead of the curve to take advantage of the benefits of electrification. Residents and contractors can apply for permits via the City’s online permitting portal at https://goleta.onlinegovt.com/.
Be sure to sign up for our Electrify Goleta Lunch & Learn on May 20 at noon to learn more.
Check out the City’s Sustainability program for more information. Go Green Goleta!
