Lacey joins regional ‘‘Energize Thurston’’ push to subsidize home electrification

Lindsay Fields, Climate and Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Lacey, told a neighborhood meeting that Lacey will participate in Energize Thurston, a regional Residential Energy Efficiency Electrification Campaign she said is set to launch in March and will provide incentives, technical help and a web-based information hub to support household electrification.

Fields said residential energy use is the largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions in the region and that Energize Thurston is designed to reduce those emissions while helping households afford upgrades. "We're launching Energize Thurston this year," Fields said. "It is basically geographically bigger than Energize Olympia... our first big project and collaborative project is Energize Thurston."

The program includes two income-based pathways, according to Fields: a fully subsidized route for very low-income households (she described eligibility at about 80 percent of area median income or below) and a partially subsidized route for households between roughly 80 and 120 percent of area median income. Fields said partial subsidy participants could face out-of-pocket costs "up to $2,500," while full installations can cost "upwards of $15,000 to $20,000 depending on the size, location." She added that Lacey has allocated about $350,000 toward the local portion of the program, which Fields estimated would cover roughly 30 to 40 full or partial subsidized installations for Lacey residents.

Fields described three program components: local incentives, an advisory support service to help residents evaluate bids and technical questions, and a web-based information hub. She said participants must first watch an educational workshop and submit an application; approved, income-qualified applicants receive a free site assessment from vetted local installers and, where needed, coordination with Habitat for Humanity for critical home repairs prior to installation. "If you are going for the full or partially subsidized, we're working with Habitat for Humanity so that they'll do critical home repair," Fields said, explaining fixes such as windows or doors that would prevent heat loss after a new heat pump is installed.

Fields said the collaborative includes Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Thurston County, with Tenino also participating, and that Energize Thurston builds on the existing Energize Olympia work. She described group-purchase discounts for households above program income caps (about a 10–15 percent discount) and said the program requires cold-climate heat-pump equipment because grant funding has efficiency specifications. "All of the heat pumps that we have to, since we're using grant money for this, we have to install cold climate heat pumps," Fields said.

Fields also described the program's customer-support component: staffed phone support to help residents understand bids and technical issues and free site assessments even for households that later decline installation. She pointed attendees to the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative web page for details and a mailing list that will notify residents when the application and workshops are available. "It is a web-based portal with information and different rebate and incentives," she said; staff described the page as the primary information hub and urged early sign-up because the program is administered on a first-come, first-served basis.

During questions, Fields explained technical limits and options for homes with central air systems and heat-pump water heaters, noting installers will recommend equipment that fits each house and will not install systems that are likely to increase other heating costs. She emphasized that free site assessments are intended to ensure suitability before installation. "They're not gonna recommend that you get something that doesn't fit your house," Fields said.

No formal action or vote occurred at the meeting. Fields invited attendees to take her contact card and to sign up on the collaborative's mailing list for launch updates and workshop dates.