Electrification Fair Showcases Appliances as City Expands Rebate Program for Residential Heat Pumps

Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) partnered with El Centro de la Raza and the Switch Is On to host a Home Electrification Fair on Tuesday at the Centilia Cultural Center. The fair featured cooking demonstrations using induction stoves, electric appliances such as heat pumps, and information on City and King County programs that help households electrify their homes and lower their energy bills.

The fair coincided with the City of Seattle's launch of expanded rebates through the Clean Heat Program, helping households convert from oil or gas heat systems to electric heat pumps!

With funding from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), the City of Seattle is offering a $4,000 bonus rebate effective September 1, 2024, through May 2025 (or while funding lasts) for moderate-income households.

Participating contractors will automatically apply the bonus rebate to income-qualified residents on top of the City's existing $2,000 Clean Heat instant rebate, which is not income restricted. You can get started by finding a participating contractor at NoMoreOilHeat.com.

That means income-qualified households can now save up to $8,000 in total bycombining the City's rebates with a $2,000 federal tax credit when switching an oil heating system to a qualified energy-efficient electric heat pump. You can learn more about the federal tax credit at irs.gov/credits-deductions/energy-efficient-home-improvement-credit.

Additionally, Seattle's Office of Housing provides free conversions from oil heat to electric heat pumps for qualifying low-income households. In the near future, the Office of Housing will begin using CCA funds to convert gas furnaces to electric heat pumps.

The Home Electrification Fair also featured information from Seattle City Light on programs that help income-qualified households save on their electricity bills, including the Utility Discount Program, which provides a 60% discount on electricity to income-qualified residents, and the new WA Clean Energy Credit, which provides a $200 bill credit.

Highlights of the fair included the "chefluencers" - chefs with influential social media accounts - who provided cooking demonstrations on electric induction stoves and offered delicious food samples to the crowd.

One of the chefs, José Garzón operates The Bad Chancla, an all-electric kitchen in Capitol Hill with a menu that reflects the chef's cultural heritage and embraces the dynamic culinary landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Chef Jose whipped up carne asada skewers, rice bowls, and crispy pork belly on an induction stove.

"We are really excited to be here because we are an all-electric kitchen in Capitol Hill, so we're super stoked to learn more about electrification. It's a really new movement, I have a lot of chefs who come in and ask, 'How do you do it?' I think it will take some time, but I do recommend people look into it."

The Electrification Fair showed how beneficial making the switch can be - from reducing cooking times with an induction stove, to getting year-round heating and air conditioning from heat pumps. Switching from fossil fuel appliances to clean, energy efficient electric appliances also improves indoor air quality and reduces energy bills.

Households who want to ditch dirty and expensive heating oil can visit www.NoMoreOilHeat.com to find a participating contractor and get a quote on their project. Contractors will apply all rebates directly on the invoice.

Low-income households can get a free heat pump conversion for their existing oil or gas systems through the Office of Housing.

Climate Commitment Act Acknowledgement:

The Clean Heat bonus rebates, no-cost gas-to-electric conversions, and Clean Energy Credits are supported with funding from Washington's Climate Commitment Act. 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.