(The Center Square) – Seattleites with qualifying income can receive up to $8,000 in support to convert to an electric heat pump but only if they purchase a Mitsubishi-brand electric heat pump.
Last week, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a new $4,000 bonus rebate for qualifying households to purchase electric heat pumps. This new rebate is intended to further help the city transition away from oil heat to cleaner electric heat.
The $4,000 bonus rebate will be effective through May 2025, or while the funding lasts. The funding stems from $3.2 million via the Washington State Department of Commerce via the Climate Commitment Act.
According to the city, the $3.2 million in funding is expected to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That is the equivalent of 4,760 gasoline-powered cars taken off the road for a year.
Moderate-income households earning between 81%–150% of the area’s median income qualify for the rebate.
Seattle already has an existing $2,000 clean heat instant rebate to help households transition to electric heat pumps. Seattle households can also apply for a $2,000 federal tax credit when switching from oil heat to an electric heat pump.
Residents with qualifying income can stack the new $4,000 rebate on top of the existing rebates available to them for a combined $8,000 in support.
However, residents interested in receiving all of the combined $8,000 in support have limited options. According to the city, qualifying residents can receive the rebates if they convert to an energy-efficient Mitsubishi electric heat pump, specifically.
According to the climate-tech startup company Elephant Energy, a standard Mitsubishi ducted cold climate heat pump can cost roughly $20,000 before rebates. That leaves Seattleites with moderate household incomes to pay $12,000 for the conversion, if they qualify for the $8,000 in total support.
Elephant Energy stated on its website that it typically installs Mitsubishi-brand cold climate heat pumps, which can function at 100% of their capacity even when outside temperatures drop down to below zero fahrenheit.
The reason the rebate qualifies for Mitsubishi-brand heat pumps stems from a request for proposals Seattle announced it 2020. The city sought to contract with a heat pump distributor who would provide rebate administration services. The city’s criteria included minimum heat pump energy efficiency levels, noise level standards, and encouraged proposers to include leveraged funding from manufacturer partners.
“Subsequently, Gensco was awarded the rebate administration contract based on their ability to meet the request for proposals requirements and for their ability to bring in Mitsubishi HVAC rebate funding to augment the city’s rebates,” Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment Climate and Energy Advisor Christine Bunch explained to The Center Square in an email.
The city has helped over 1,600 households convert to heat pumps since 2017. Harrell set the goal of zero oil-heated homes by 2030.
