Summary
Building on a successful effort to bring healthy and affordable indoor heating and cooling to low-income homes, King County’s Energize program now offers the same benefits to adult family homes, affordable multifamily housing, in-home childcares and community spaces – including qualifying locations in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties.
Story
King County’s Energize program is helping families, in-home childcare providers, adult family homes, and community spaces switch to clean energy and reduce energy costs by installing efficient electric heat pumps for heating and cooling that protect human health and the environment.
The program has expanded with new grant funding and includes qualifying homes and businesses in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties, bringing energy savings and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to the Central Puget Sound region.
“We’re making sure more children, families, and seniors in our region’s frontline communities have the reliable, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems they need to stay safe, healthy, and comfortable all year long,” said Executive Girmay Zahilay. “These upgrades will also lower energy bills, improving affordability while also promoting resilience to the impacts of extreme weather. As our region continues to experience hotter summers and colder winters, the Energize program shows King County’s commitment to meeting our climate goals while improving the health, wellbeing, and livability of our communities.”
Energize began in 2023 as a modest residential decarbonization pilot program in the White Center and Skyway communities to cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce utility bills for community members, and help prepare homes for the impacts of climate change through added cooling.
In some cases, Energize applicants don’t have a working heating system before applying for assistance. In other situations, clean-energy technology helped households move away from expensive and polluting heating oil furnaces while offering lower energy costs. The program has covered 100% of the costs for 90% of all installations.
Qualified homes and businesses in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties can now participate in cost-saving program thanks to additional grant funding for heat pump and weatherization work at in-home childcares, adult family homes, and community buildings:
- Energize – Adult Family Homes and Family Home Childcares grants totaling $11.1 million for heat pump installations and weatherization projects in 2026 and 2027, with half of the anticipated 242 projects occurring in King County, and the remaining projects to be divided between Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
- Energize – Multifamily Homes program offers $14 million in funding available for heat pump and weatherization projects in multifamily rental homes across the four-county region.
- Energize Community Spaces – Local Government Decarbonization grants has $7 million for heat pumps and weatherization in local government community buildings in the four-county area, with funding for an anticipated projects in 18 separate buildings.
- Energize – Community Spaces program has $4.1 million for heat pumps and weatherization in non-governmental community buildings in the four-county area, with funding for projects in roughly 41 buildings.
Heating and cooling technology powered by clean energy to reduce climate pollution
Energize reduces climate pollution by replacing older, fossil fuel-powered systems with heat pumps powered by clean electricity, creates jobs by hiring local contractors, and improves public health by protecting residents from unsafe temperatures and improving indoor air quality.
Heat pumps are the most efficient, climate-friendly way to heat and cool homes and similar sized structures with clean energy rather than fossil fuels. Heat pumps are three to five times more efficient than a standard gas furnace. They have the additional benefit of protecting indoor air quality when wildfire smoke occurs, keeping people and pets in homes and businesses healthy when windows need to be closed.
Energize marked its 250th heat pump installation as part of an effort to reduce emissions and ensure frontline communities disproportionately impacted by climate change have access to clean, efficient and comfortable heating in the winter and cooling during increasingly hotter summers and extreme heat events. The first heat pump installations focused on homes at or below 80% or less of the area median income in Skyway and White Center, unincorporated communities selected because they have less tree canopy cover to help keep homes cool while residents there experience more pollution than in many other communities in the county.
Energize contributes to King County’s Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy to better prepare the region for dangerous heat waves, which is part of the county’s Strategic Climate Action Plan.
The program, administered by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, received grant funding from Puget Sound Energy, the Washington State Climate Commitment Act, the Washington State Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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What People Are Saying
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay
“We’re making sure more children, families, and seniors in our region’s frontline communities have the reliable, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems they need to stay safe, healthy, and comfortable all year long. These upgrades will also lower energy bills, improving affordability while also promoting resilience to the impacts of extreme weather. As our region continues to experience hotter summers and colder winters, the Energize program shows King County’s commitment to meeting our climate goals while improving the health, wellbeing, and livability of our communities.”
Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello
“As temperatures become more extreme in Pierce County, the need for air conditioning and heating becomes a matter of health and safety for our most vulnerable residents. In partnership with King County, these Energize funds allow us to install free energy efficient heating and cooling in local adult family homes and in-home childcare facilities. These investments keep residents safe from extreme heat or cold, lower electricity bills, and reduce pollution.”
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers
“Working together helps us make the most of funding and resources, and I am grateful for this close collaboration led by King County to enhance multifamily and community spaces. Through this partnership, we are using federal grant dollars to improve quality of life and reduce environmental impact from energy use at 13 adult family homes and home childcares in Snohomish County. These upgrades to clean, efficient heating and cooling systems will make a real difference for families who rely on these spaces.”
Kitsap County Commissioner Christine Rolfes
“We’re thankful that Kitsap County is among the communities included in the Energize program’s expansion. This new funding will help more qualifying homes, businesses, and organizations lower energy costs, improve indoor air quality, and create healthier, more comfortable places for people to live, work, learn, and receive care.”
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Executive Director Christine Cooley
“The Regional Comprehensive Climate Action Plan was never meant to sit on a shelf—it was designed to bring partners together to deliver real results for pollution reduction. Seeing these first projects completed is proof that regional collaboration works. Together, we can get more done with less overhead, and that is especially important for tiny lungs and our most vulnerable populations experiencing negative climate impacts like heat and wildfire smoke.”