Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sustainability Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sammamish updates residents on heat-pump adoption, green purchasing and a new Solarize Eastside campaign
Summary
City sustainability staff briefed council on residential heat-pump uptake through the Energy Smart Eastside program, enrollment in PSE Green Power for city electricity, a green purchasing pilot, and a planned Solarize Eastside outreach campaign and workshops.
City sustainability staff told the Sammamish City Council Feb. 11 that the city has enrolled municipal accounts in Puget Sound Energy's Green Power program for 2025 and that regional residential heat-pump adoption is rising under the Energy Smart Eastside partnership.
“Sammamish has the highest heat pump adoption rate of all of our neighboring cities,” Rose Weicker, Sammamish sustainability coordinator, told the council, while noting Sammamish joined the Energy Smart Eastside program late in 2024 and staff want to increase uptake of income-targeted incentives.
Why it matters: home electrification and municipal green-power purchases are elements of the city's greenhouse-gas reduction strategy. Staff also described outreach events that will offer residents technical information and vendor connections for home electrification and solar.
Key figures and programs
Energy Smart Eastside: City staff presented combined Eastside statistics showing growth in heat-pump installations across six partner cities. The program reports that about 59% of residential HVAC permits across the Eastside were for heat pumps (program-wide) and that, for Sammamish specifically, roughly two-thirds of HVAC permits in the observed period were heat pumps. Energy Smart Eastside provides targeted incentives for moderate- and low-income households; Sammamish’s enrollment in late 2024 means incentive uptake is expected to increase in 2025.
Green Power: Weicker said the city “is fully enrolled in Green Power for 2025,” meaning the municipality will match 100% of its electricity use with locally sourced renewable energy products offered through PSE’s Green Power program.
Solarize Eastside and public education
The Eastside Climate Partnership — a coalition of six Eastside cities — will run a Solarize Eastside group-purchasing and outreach campaign beginning March 2025. Sammamish staff plan a heat-pump workshop at City Hall on March 26 and a Solarize workshop April 3; staff will share program information at Earth Day, the farmers market and other outreach channels.
Green purchasing and internal tracking
Staff described a green purchasing pilot run in Parks late in 2024 and a broader city green purchasing guide to be rolled out in February 2025 for non‑contract purchases (materials, event supplies, consumables). The guide aims to track sustainable purchases and encourage department-level adoption of lower‑impact products.
Funding and targets
The Eastside partnership has program goals that include increasing residential heat-pump adoption to 65% (program-wide) and to 70% by 2026. Sammamish also has grant resources available, including a HEAR (Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate) grant and an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant that staff said will help subsidize targeted installations.
Ending
Staff asked council to help amplify outreach and to refer residents to the March and April workshops; they said they'll return with additional program updates as participation data accrue.
