California unveils first state plan to unleash heat pumps

Like the EV mandate, this is another expensive program to force people to flee California.

“Last week, the California Heat Pump Partnership announced the nation’s first statewide blueprint to achieve the state’s ambitious goals for deploying heat pumps, a critical tech for decarbonizing buildings and improving public health. The plan draws on recommendations from the public-private partnership’s members, which include government agencies, heat pump manufacturers, retailers, utilities, and other stakeholders.

“We hope it serves as a national model,” said Terra Weeks, director of the partnership.

In 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) set a goal for the world’s fifth-largest economy to deploy 6 million heat pump units by 2030. That includes heat pumps for building heating and air-conditioning needs as well as for water heating. An estimated 1.9 million have been installed so far, according to the blueprint report.

Note that part of the lobbying group, with government, are the heat pump manufacturers.  Of course, now they have government forcing people to buy their product.  If they product was so good, people would buy it without government guns to their head.  Obviously, this is a scam.

California unveils first state plan to unleash heat pumps

The new blueprint aims to help California reach its goal of deploying 6 million heat pumps by 2030, a target it is currently lagging behind.

By Alison F. Takemura, Canary Media,  3/17/25    https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/california-unveils-first-state-plan-to-unleash-heat-pumps

California has big heat-pump dreams. Now, it’s got a road map to realize them.

Last week, the California Heat Pump Partnership announced the nation’s first statewide blueprint to achieve the state’s ambitious goals for deploying heat pumps, a critical tech for decarbonizing buildings and improving public health. The plan draws on recommendations from the public-private partnership’s members, which include government agencies, heat pump manufacturers, retailers, utilities, and other stakeholders.

“We hope it serves as a national model,” said Terra Weeks, director of the partnership.

In 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) set a goal for the world’s fifth-largest economy to deploy 6 million heat pump units by 2030. That includes heat pumps for building heating and air-conditioning needs as well as for water heating. An estimated 1.9 million have been installed so far, according to the blueprint report.

The state is not on track to hit that 2030 benchmark. Even with current policies and incentives, California would fall 2 million heat pumps short, the report says.

Heat pump units are outselling gas furnaces nationally, but of the roughly 1 million units of HVAC equipment sold annually in California, just one in five are heat pumps. Of about 800,000 water heaters sold each year, only 3% to 5% are heat pump models. The state is one of nine committed to making heat pumps at least 65% of residential HVAC sales by 2030.

Looking beyond the 2030 target, the Golden State ultimately needs to deploy an estimated 23 million heat pumps to decarbonize its residential and commercial sectors by 2045, when California aims to be carbon neutral.

Heat pumps face considerable challenges to mass adoption in the state. Many Californians aren’t aware of the appliance’s benefits, according to the report. Heat pumps are typically more expensive up front than gas furnaces and can cost more to run in states like California where electricity prices are high relative to those of gas. Plus, many contractors aren’t prioritizing heat pumps, citing a lack of market confidence, the report notes.

The blueprint lays out a raft of solutions to make heat pumps more desirable and affordable. Building customer demand and contractor support is key to making them ​“the easy and obvious choice,” as the report puts it.

To create buzz for the appliances, the partnership is launching a ​“heat pump week” with interactive experiences next spring. The group will also start a broader marketing campaign this fall, which will include spotlighting contractors who already install heat pumps.

To reduce up-front costs, the coalition supports expanding heat pump financing tools, like the low-interest loans from the State Treasurer’s Office GoGreen Home program. Weeks also underscored the need for incentives that are easy for contractors and customers to access, such as instant, ​“point-of-sale” rebates for heat pumps.

Applying lessons from existing incentive initiatives like TECH Clean California, the partnership recommends that program architects get input from contractors and manufacturers on how to design incentives and ensure funds follow predictable timelines, rather than abruptly run out.

“The current start-and-stop dynamics that we’re seeing with many incentive programs today … can deter both customers and contractors from opting for heat pumps,” Weeks said. ​“There’s really broad consensus from our members that there is a distinct need to just make sure that those incentives don’t disappear.”

The group also endorses streamlining the permitting process for heat pump installations, a measure currently before the state Legislature.

The blueprint points out that focusing on particular markets could help supercharge heat pump adoption. Residents in the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, must start replacing their broken gas-fueled furnaces and water heaters with zero-emissions electric equipment starting in 2027 to comply with air quality rules.

Consumers in hotter areas, like inland California, will also save more on cooling costs than other customers when they replace older, less-efficient central ACs with heat pumps, making them potentially prime early adopters.

If heat pumps went from their current 23% of market share for AC replacements to 80%, installations would add up to roughly 1.7 million additional units over six years, per the report.

A linchpin of the blueprint is a workforce advisory council of installers, trade associations, workforce educators, and other stakeholders who can help guide the partnership’s marketing efforts and policy recommendations.

“We need to be designing regulations and programs with contractors so that they work for contractors,” Weeks said. ​“And if we make it easy and profitable for contractors, we win.”

The sweeping tactics laid out in the report will require substantial funding, potentially in the billions of dollars. But exactly how much will be up for debate, Weeks said. Funds could come from a variety of sources, including cap-and-trade revenues, utility ratepayer programs, and state tax dollars, she said. The report recommends minimizing the use of ratepayer funding; California is looking to cut costs to utility customers as the state’s electricity bills skyrocket.

Last Monday, California paused its $290 million home energy rebate program, part of an $8.8-billion federally funded initiative for heat pumps and other home energy upgrades, because state officials couldn’t access funds.

But Weeks remains sanguine; California runs several home-grown programs, including the $500 million Equitable Building Decarbonization program to put heat pumps in reach for thousands of low-income households.

“While the step back from the federal government on funding programs is regrettable,” Weeks said, ​“leadership states like California will find ways to help people make the right choice to buy heat pumps.”