MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District offers Valley residents the opportunity to save up to $5,000 on a new home heating and cooling system when decommissioning their fireplace and installing an electric heat pump system. The District’s Fireplace & Woodstove Change-Out program provides incentives for residents to reduce emissions from their wood burning stove or fireplace by replacing their device with an electric heat pump or a gas device.
Residents must work with a District-approved participating program retailer or HVAC company. Businesses interested in becoming a program partner should call 559-230-5800. To participate in this program, residents should visit www.valleyair.org/change-out.
Watch a short video testimonial from one of the grant participants.
A heat pump heats and cools your home, serving as a combined furnace and HVAC system. Heat pumps bring high-efficiency heating and cooling to homes throughout California. They are a crucial part of electrifying a home. Heat pumps are an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative when coupled with cleaner electricity sources, such as solar. For more information about electric heat pumps, please visit: www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-systems.
An air-source heat pump.
The benefits of a heat pump include:
- Combined heating and cooling in one system
- Can connect to existing central ductwork or be a ductless system for homes without ducts
- Can be powered by clean electricity
- Lowered heating and cooling costs
- Quiet and efficient operation
This is a great year to replace your old wood- or pellet-burning device with a heat pump because of the additional incentives offered through the federal Inflation Reduction Act. Applicants are eligible for a tax credit of 30% of the total costs of heat pump installation. To learn more about the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, visit Clean Energy Connection.
A geothermal heat pump.
As part of the comprehensive Residential Wood Smoke Reduction Strategy, the District urges all Valley residents to help reduce harmful PM2.5 emissions and heat their homes by means other than burning wood whenever possible. Residential wood burning is one of the Valley’s largest sources of wintertime PM2.5 emissions and is shown to have a direct effect on neighborhood air quality.
“During the winter, residential woodsmoke is a leading contributor to public health impacts in neighborhoods where we live, work, and play,” said District Chief Communications Officer, Jaime Holt. “Choosing to replace or remove wood burning fireplaces is an important part of our collective efforts to reduce air pollution and improve quality of life in our communities. We’re excited to offer increased funding assistance to our residents, with the highest funding going to residents converting to electric heat pumps for home heating”.
The Valley Air District covers eight counties including San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and San Joaquin Valley air basin portions of Kern. For additional information about the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, visit www.valleyair.org or call 559-230-6000.
Check out this short video from “This Old House” on how a heat pump works!
