Olympia is continuing its Energize Olympia heat pump program in 2024 to engage at least 550 residents by providing education on heat pump technology and installing additional heat pump systems in homes.
The city is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide the installation of ductless heat pumps (DHP) for residents. The deadline for installers who are interested in providing installation services for the program is on May 31, 2024.
Olympia and South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity are collaborating for this year’s program. They will work with installers and community partners to promote the program through focused marketing, outreach, and education efforts.
The program aims to engage at least 550 residents through various workshops (both online and in-person) and install 150 ductless heat pump systems. It also targets fully subsidizing heat pump installations for 75 low- to moderate-income households.
Olympia will select one or more installers to participate in Energize Olympia. The city has allocated a budget of $40,000 to provide an additional incentive for customers. Specifically, the funding will offer a $800 time-of-sale discount for up to 50 heat pump installations, reducing the overall cost for market-rate participants.
The selected installers for the Energize Olympia program will be responsible for several key tasks, including community outreach and education.
The installer participating in Energize Olympia will provide several services to support the program. They will contact eligible leads within three business days to provide free quotes and conduct site assessments. Additionally, the installer will ensure all quotes include details on eligible rebates and incentives to help lower the total cost for residents.
For market-rate participants in Energize Olympia, the installer will offer several benefits:
For low- and moderate-income participants in Energize Olympia, the installer will provide additional support:
The program currently isn’t open to participants but will be re-opening later this year. Interested parties may submit proposals by email to Dominic Jones, RFP coordinator, at djones@ci.olympia.wa.us.
According to the RFP issued on May 3, purchasing and installing of ductless heat pump systems is made easier and affordable for residents through Energize Olympia program.
It provides vetted installers, group purchasing discounts, and information on available incentives.
The program fully subsidizes installations for low- and moderate-income households. It also provides educational resources through workshops and webinars to help residents learn about heat pump technology.
Launched in 2023, Energize Olympia engaged more than 250 community members through educational workshops, which resulted in the installation of 67 electric heat pumps, including 22 fully subsidized installations for low- to moderate-income households.
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Info2Consider
I applied last year... went tot the meeting... nothing... I guess they have specific demographics in mind. They didn't even address people that were disabled or 100% Service Disabled Veterans within the program.
Thursday, May 16 Report this
hptrillium
I have had a bad experience with getting a heat pump from Black Hills. To get the rebates you have to be very careful to insist on certain makes and models. Don’t depend on the installers to do this. Also make sure to get the most energy efficient models. Don’t assume that the installer will take care of this.
Friday, May 17 Report this
Claire
The Shitty of Olympia still doesn't get it.
Friday, May 17 Report this
UxAxDT
Ductless heatpumps are indeed effective upgrades in terms of energy vs baseboard heaters, but as is this program does very little to move the needle in terms of reducing carbon emissions in the city as the efficiency is usually countered by adding cooling load. I made a big deal about installation quality and focusing on fossil fuel replacement while briefly employed as the cities building decarb manager, but was ignored, sidelined, and ultimately fired without cause. Current efforts by the city are greenwashing at best, and a big waste of money.
Saturday, May 18 Report this