WA building council votes to require heat pumps in new homes and apartments

New homes and apartments in Washington will be required to install heat pumps beginning in July, the Washington State Building Code Council ruled Friday.

The council voted 9-5 last week on the ruling, a decision that could help the state further reduce carbon emissions by electrifying the heating systems of new buildings. The council, which is appointed by the governor, voted in April to revise the state’s building code to require heat pumps in large and commercial buildings.

Homes, apartments, offices and other buildings account for a large portion of planet-warming greenhouse pollution.

Residential, commercial and industrial buildings account for more than a third of emissions in Seattle, a quarter statewide and around 40% globally.

Still, a suite of bills aiming to update building codes, improve energy use in office buildings and lower the cost of heat pumps all failed to pass the state Legislature earlier this year.

Heat pumps are an increasingly popular and energy-efficient alternative to conventional gas furnaces and air conditioners. They use electricity to power a compressor, pumps and fans to transfer heat by pushing heat outside your home during the warmer parts of the year, and pulling it in during the cold.

Modern heat pumps can reduce electricity consumption by up to half, compared with most conventional heaters, but the upfront cost is still a concern for many interested in transitioning from fossil fuels to electricity in heating their residences.

The Inflation Reduction Act, a gargantuan spending bill passed by Congress then signed by President Joe Biden in August, will funnel $375 billion over the next decade into subsidies, tax incentives and credits to, among many things, improve household energy efficiency.

Last week, the White House announced an additional $4.5 billion to help low-income families pay for heating this winter, in addition to $9 billion in state-allocated Inflation Reduction Act funds to help families and building owners upgrade or retrofit for lower energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy also announced its formal interest in using federal funding to bolster the domestic production of heat pumps.

Federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act provides up to $2,000 to those who install a heat pump that meets or exceeds “the highest efficiency tier” of the Consortium for Energy Efficiency. Progress toward electrification is encouraging to many proponents of the bill, but critics say the requirements to qualify are strict and could stifle supply or turn away potential customers.

The upfront cost remains a bottleneck for many looking to make the shift, but many argue the long-term costs and emissions of heat pumps are less than that of an AC unit, and the former is becoming increasingly affordable.

Access to hydropower makes electricity here cheaper than in most parts of the country, not to mention the state’s comparatively strict building code and its status as a foothold for a global movement to decarbonize buildings.

Meanwhile, a handful of major statewide climate policies will join the Inflation Reduction Act in taking effect January, signaling the beginning of what could be a substantial shift in the state’s efforts to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.