The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved an agreement with South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity (SPSHFH) at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
The agreement, part of the BoCC’s consent agenda, authorizes SPSHFH to manage the low- and moderate-income (LMI) pathway of the 2025 Energize Thurston campaign. The project seeks to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions through subsidized energy-efficient installations.
Climate Mitigation Senior Program Manager Rebecca Harvey said the agreement is backed by a plan designed to oversee SPSHFH’s activities.
“We completed a PAO (Prosecuting Attorney’s Office) review and worked with the contract manager to develop a monitoring and assessment plan,” she said.
According to Harvey, the monitoring plan breaks down the requirements for SPSHFH to submit reports on financial management, policies, audit procedures and record retention.
Harvey also clarified several protective provisions within the contract to address concerns BoCC Chair Tye Menser raised at a previous meeting.
“I’d also point you to sections 14, 21 and 22 of the agreement itself, which have the language protecting the county in terms of (contract) termination, close out records and reports and audits,” she said.
Assistant County Manager Joshua Cummings acknowledged the thoroughness of the safeguards.
“What I’m hearing is you already had monitoring language in the contract, and we put build suspenders … Thank you," Cummings said.
The BoCC raised no further questions; the agreement was unanimously approved as part of the consent agenda.
The agreement allocates $553,303 to SPSHFH, which is funded through pass-through grants from state and federal sources.
The funding includes $472,263 from the Washington State Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program and $81,040 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG).
The agreement states that approximately 88% of the HEAR funds and all of the EECBG funds will support installations of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters (HPWH) for eligible low- and moderate-income households in Thurston County.
The 2025 Energize Thurston initiative supports The Switch is On campaign. The county’s campaign seeks to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient technologies by offering group purchase discounts and fully or partially subsidized equipment for qualifying residents.
The program offers two participation pathways: a subsidized pathway for low- and moderate-income households and a self-funded option for other residents.
The goal is to replace inefficient and outdated heating and water systems with modern, all-electric alternatives to lower energy costs and reduce carbon emissions. The contract also specifies reporting and compliance measures.
Harvey emphasized SPSHFH is required to provide regular documentation on their financial and administrative procedures, particularly when submitting monthly expenditure reports. The monitoring plan allows the county to track subrecipient’s activities and secure adherence to grant conditions.
Additionally, post-monitoring assessments are included to verify compliance after initial installations are completed.
The contract also includes additional measures to address BoCC concerns about verifying income qualifications for program participants.
Through the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative (TCMC), the campaign will prioritize outreach to low-income communities that face high energy costs.
SPSHFH will coordinate its efforts to identify qualifying residents and guide TCMC through the application and installation process. Services under the campaign include energy audits and subsidized installations of heat pumps and other high-efficiency equipment.
SPSHFH has also been involved in similar efforts, including the Energize Olympia program.
With the agreement approved, preparations for the program rollout will begin.
The campaign is expected to launch in March 2025, with outreach and education activities designed to inform residents about the program's benefits.
For more information, contact the 2025 Energize Thurston project team at energize@co.thurston.wa.us
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