KQED: California’s latest climate plan establishes an ambitious pathway towards carbon neutrality—including the target deployment of 6 million heat pumps by 2030. With roughly 12 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution coming directly from commercial and residential buildings, this energy-efficient technology offers a potential solution for cutting emissions.
According to Daniel Hamilton, the Sustainability and Resilience Director for the city of Oakland and City Liaison for the EcoBlock project, “if all of the homes in Oakland were to switch to heat pump space heaters, it would eliminate half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector.” While heat pumps can be expensive upfront, Daniel notes that “moderate-income residents [in Oakland] can expect to get about a third of that cost covered by rebates and incentives, while lower-income residents can get about two-thirds of that covered.”