Thurston County launches Energize Thurston workshop to expand heat‑pump installations, subsidies

Thurston County hosted an educational workshop to launch the 2025 Energize Thurston campaign and outline a group‑purchase program for heat pumps, financing options, installer selection, and limited subsidized installs for income‑qualified homeowners.

Energize Thurston is a county‑led heat‑pump group‑purchase program open to residents of Thurston County and its partner cities Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Tenino. Julia Downing, community energy fellow for Thurston County, said, "Energize Thurston is a heat pump group purchase program for Thurston County residents." The program will offer a free site assessment from vetted installers, a dedicated customer‑support team, access to financing and utility rebates, and free or reduced‑cost installations for households that meet income eligibility.

Why it matters: Thurston County staff said residential energy use accounts for 26% of the county's greenhouse gas emissions and that local campaigns can reduce emissions while lowering operating costs for homeowners. Puget Sound Energy (PSE) data cited at the workshop reported more than 9,000 heat‑pump units supported through rebates since 2018, which presenters said eliminated roughly 17,000 metric tons of CO2 in PSE's service area.

Program design and partners: Rebecca Harvey, Climate Mitigation Senior Program Manager with Thurston County, said the county competitively selected four installation partners through a request‑for‑proposals process that evaluated qualifications, pricing and customer support. The selected contractors are Airganic (owner Gal Amir), Alpine Ductless (co‑owner Corey Eckert), Resicon (Jeremy Penley), and Sunset Air (Matt Jones). Presenters said all four firms will provide heat pumps for space heating and cooling; Resicon and Sunset Air will also provide heat‑pump water heaters.

Subsidized pathway and eligibility: Amanda Schuyler, who manages home repair programs at South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity, described the subsidized installation pathway. She said low‑income households will receive 100% of installation costs covered; moderate‑income households will receive 80% coverage, leaving the homeowner responsible for the remaining 20% or $2,500, whichever is lower (a maximum homeowner out‑of‑pocket of $2,500 for those who qualify). Applicants must be the homeowner, must live in the home receiving work, must allow a free in‑home site assessment and a final permit inspection, and must agree to removal of existing gas heating equipment used for space heat (dryers, water heaters, ovens and stoves may remain on gas). Schuyler said subsidized installations are funded via the Washington State Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate program (HEAR) with support from the Washington Climate Commitment.

Technical options and costs: Installer presenters walked through equipment types, siting requirements and cost ranges. Presenters described two broad system families: ducted central systems and ductless multi‑head systems. Examples and typical cost ranges given at the workshop (presenters said costs vary by home size, electrical work, and installation complexity) included: ducted central systems in approximate ranges of $13,500 to $16,500 depending on capacity; ductless systems roughly $7,500 for a single indoor head, about $11,000 for two heads and up to about $18,000 for three heads. Jeremy Penley (Resicon) and Matt Jones (Sunset Air) discussed heat‑pump water heaters, noting typical installed price ranges presented were $4,500 to $6,300 depending on tank size and job complexity. Penley and other installers emphasized siting and space needs for heat‑pump water heaters (roughly 700–1,000 cubic feet of clear space, condensation‑drain routing to exterior, and sound management considerations). Installers said some homes will require electrical panel upgrades to support heat‑pump water heaters.

Incentives and financing stack: County staff outlined other incentives that can reduce costs for self‑funded participants: the Energize Thurston group discount (presenters said at least a 10% discount off a range of equipment), PSE rebates (including higher rebates for income‑qualified households), and federal tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act. Staff said the IRA currently provides a 30% tax credit up to $2,000 total per household for heat‑pump equipment; presenters cautioned that the timing and implementation of some federal and state rebates remain subject to later guidance and advised consulting tax professionals. Presenters said households receiving a subsidized installation through Energize Thurston are not eligible to claim the $2,000 IRA credit for the subsidized equipment.

How to apply and next steps: Staff described the application process: submit a program application to be contacted by county staff, provide required financial documentation for subsidized applicants, be assigned to a vetted installer who will schedule a site assessment and provide a quote, sign a contract to proceed, and schedule the installation. Program staff said they displayed a QR code and web link during the workshop and provided an email contact for questions (energizeco@thurston.wa.us). Julia Downing said the workshop Q&A and submitted questions will be added to a publicly available FAQ on the program website.

What presenters emphasized and limits of authority: Presenters repeatedly emphasized that final costs and eligibility depend on each home's layout, existing fuel source, electrical capacity and insulation, and that site assessments will determine system sizing. They also noted that some incentives (state and federal) may have implementation details that are not yet finalized. Installers warned that ductwork condition, required electrical upgrades, or complex furnace locations (attic, crawl space) can increase cost and installation complexity.

The county encouraged attendees to apply to participate in the Energize Thurston campaign and to use the provided contact information and FAQ for follow‑up questions.