Olympia promotes electrification with 'Switch is On' campaign

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Olympia's Climate Program Director, Dr. Pamela Braff, spoke at the city council meeting on Tuesday, March 19, to promote the "Switch is On," a regional campaign that aims to educate and inspire residents about the benefits of switching to electric appliances.

"When we talk about the Switch is On, we're talking about switching from fossil fuels to all-electric renewable energy to power and heat our homes and our buildings and all of the spaces we go to in the community," Braff explained.

The climate director said the "Switch is On" campaign is a collaboration between multiple jurisdictions and nonprofit partners in Washington State. Its website provides a one-stop resource for information on building electrification. The site includes an incentive finder tool to help residents locate available rebates and funding support for electrification projects.

Braff said the Switch is On campaign was launched to help address homeowners' challenges in navigating the various information, incentives, and funding options available for building electrification projects. The campaign aims to simplify the process and help guide interested community members in exploring and pursuing electrification options for their homes or buildings.

The campaign involves partnerships between Olympia, King County, Pierce County, Thurston County, Seattle, Tacoma, and several nonprofit organizations to provide electrification resources and outreach on a larger scale.

Braff added that the campaign also works with industry partners, including chefs, manufacturers, retailers, and others involved in the electrification sector, to raise broader awareness of electrification.

To gauge its success, Braff said the campaign conducted surveys to track "market transformation."

They did a pre-campaign survey of Thurston County, King County, and Tacoma residents to get the community's sense of awareness, knowledge, and interest in electrification. They plan to run a similar survey in a few months to see if the outreach and messaging have increased public awareness and shifted perceptions.

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  • AugieH

    So, is Pam going to pedal a bicycle that generates all that required electricity?

    Thursday, March 21 Report this

  • hptrillium

    I am all for electrification of homes. I had a bad experience with getting a heat pump from Black Hills. My main goal in getting a heat pump was more efficent use of energy and getting off fossil fuels. I thought that all heat pumps were very efficient. I neglected to get the make, model and serial number of the heat pump on the contract before it was installed. After the installation I found out it was the least efficent that I could have gotten. It would not qualify for the rebate that PSE advertises. I was not given a choice of heat pumps. I would warn people to be extremely careful about which heat pump you buy. Don't trust the installer to give you all the facts.

    Friday, March 22 Report this

  • Southsoundguy

    Scam.

    Friday, March 22 Report this