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City staff outline 2026 climate programs: heat-pump subsidies, portable cooling pilot and employee e-bike pilot
Summary
Lacey staff summarized 2026 climate initiatives including Energize Thurston heat-pump installations (regional grants and Lacey-subsidized installs), a portable heat-pump emergency cooling pilot for low-income seniors, and a WSDOT‑funded employee e-bike lease-to-own pilot; staff also reviewed greenhouse-gas inventories and a regional VMT gap analysis.
Lindsay, Lacey’s climate coordinator, presented the city’s 2026 climate work plan and regional collaboration through the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative.
Staff reviewed greenhouse-gas inventory findings: the 2022 county inventory showed a 6.6% increase since 2015 (and a 16% increase since 2020), while a 2023 DASH inventory focusing on energy and transportation sectors showed a smaller increase and a 7.4% per-capita decline since 2015. Lindsay noted inventories lag by up to two years and said the city will produce a municipal inventory in 2025 data next year.
On programs, staff summarized Energize Thurston, a regional heat-pump campaign that used over $2 million in grant funds in 2025 to support roughly 219 heat pump or water-heater installations across the region (about 170 fully or partially subsidized) and education reaching ~520 residents. For 2026 the program is testing a distributor model to expand installer participation and will prioritize low-income applicants from a 2025 wait list using SEAP and PSE decarbonization grant funds.
Lindsay also described a portable heat-pump pilot intended as an emergency cooling resource for low‑income seniors who cannot reach cooling centers; about 48 units are funded, including air filters for smoke mitigation, and installations will be provided at no cost through South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity in coordination with the Area Agency on Aging.
Finally, staff described a WSDOT-funded employee e-bike lease-to-own pilot: 35 e-bikes for employees at no lease cost with a six-month program requiring periodic commute and survey reporting; participants receive helmets, locks and GPS monitoring as theft-prevention.
Council members asked about wait-list prioritization, maintenance responsibilities for portable units (staff said maintenance education will be provided but ongoing maintenance is not included), life expectancy of portable pumps (staff will check model specs), and enforcement/implementation details for heat-pump subsidies. There were no new program funding votes at the meeting.
