Campaign & Heat Pump FAQs

Kicking Gas is a grassroots, Whidbey Island-based climate justice organization working to help electrify homes and improve the health of our communities by increasing affordability of electrification measures and raising awareness of the health and environmental impacts of fossil fuel combustion and usage. Offering decarbonization subsidies of 20 - 75% of the total project cost, as well as a low-interest microloan option, Kicking Gas works to make climate action easy and affordable.

Currently, Whidbey and Bainbridge Island’s electric utility, Puget Sound Energy, gets more than half its electricity from burning fossil fuels. However, in the near future, electricity will be clean: State law requires PSE to stop burning coal by the end of 2025 and to provide “carbon-neutral” electricity by 2030. Heat pumps last for 15 - 20 years, so you will be using increasingly clean electricity for the majority of the life of your heat pump. If everyone in the Pacific region switched from gas to an electric heat pump, we would cut our carbon emissions from home heating by almost 80%!

Fossil fuel combustion in our homes, particularly natural gas and propane, contributes a dramatic number of toxins to our indoor air quality. These harmful chemicals - notably benzene, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde – are known to disrupt endocrine, cognitive, and respiratory function, child brain development, as well as being potential causes of reproductive harm. That smell when we turn on the stove or oven may be “normal” but it is certainly not healthy!

Burning combustion fuels is a safety issue. Improper ventilation could result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Propane tanks can explode, cause fires, and become dangerous massive projectiles. Studies have shown that there is a so-called natural gas explosion in a home​​ every 40 hours in the United States.

According to recent studies in the UK, wood-burning indoors is a likely contributor to high incidences of lung and other cancers, especially among women. Our homes and families are far too precious for anything less than the most salutary options, as are yours.

See PSE’s fuel mix HERE.

If you live n one of the areas that we are currently serving

AND

If you live in a home that is heated with propane, oil, natural gas or wood AND

If you are looking for an efficient heat source so you can stop burning in your home,

Then your home is (most likely) eligible! Final eligibility is determined by your survey responses, a site visit, and income verification. For detailed eligibility terms, please see our Buy-Down Subsidy Eligibility Requirements for Air to Air Heat Pumps.

Depending on your household income, your award will fall into a category of either 20% or 50%, with a maximum of $7,500. A minimum 20% subsidy is available for every Kicking Gas-eligible installation, regardless of income. 50% subsidies are available to households with income at or below 120% of Area Median Income.

See our chart to find 120% of Median Family Income that we’re using for both Island County and Snohomish Counties.

There are several options available to help the project move forward should your household’s allotted portion of the cost prove a barrier. For example, if it’s helpful to pay half of your portion up front, and the balance a few months later (say, once installation is complete) KG is happy to make such an arrangement. Alternatively, low-interest microloans are available through our campaign partner, Salish Sea Cooperative Finance (SSCoFi). With this option, the client pays a minimum $500 deposit up front. The remainder of the cost is provided at 5% interest with a loan term of 1-5 years (depending on what kind of monthly payment works for you). With the money you’ll be saving on energy, propane or oil in particular, we’re hoping that these monthly payments will be mostly offset. An added bonus to the Kicking Gas—SSCoFi micro-loan program is that the money you pay in interest is cycled back into a dedicated loan fund ear-marked for future energy efficiency projects, –meaning your money stays local and continues to benefit the community as we undergo the work of transformation!

No verification is required for a 20% buy-down subsidy, since this is available to every eligible home. If you would like to apply for the 50% or 75% buy-down subsidies, we will ask to see a copy of your most recent tax return. (We count “income” as the adjusted gross income on the tax return.)

Yes, regardless of whether you rent or own, if your home is heated with propane, oil, wood, or so-called “natural” gas and you meet other program requirements, there are subsidies available to whichever party pays for the installation. We’re happy to provide support and/or talk to your landlord about the process where needed.

Beginning in 2024-25, Kicking Gas’s 2024-2025 electrification campaign began expanding beyond its primary focus on homes. We are open to working with businesses on a case-by-case basis. If we can’t offer assistance with a commercial enterprise looking to make the switch, Sustainable Connections may be able to help.

To receive the decarbonization subsidy, you may use any approved local installer, so long as the equipment meets certain efficiency specifications and the installer offers customer service and maintenance that ensure your new system functions reliably for years to come. Kicking Gas recommends particular installers well-regarded for their record of service, performance, integrity and maintenance capacity.

The Washington State University Community Energy Efficiency Program is granting funds for the Kicking Gas campaign to For the People, our fiscal sponsor. In addition, we committed to raise $50,000 from the community to further support our work. You can donate to help your neighbors kick gas HERE.

A ductless heat pump, or DHP, is a highly efficient heating and cooling system that does not require the use of air ducts. Ductless systems consist of an outdoor compressor unit and one or more indoor air-handling units, called “heads,” linked by a dedicated refrigerant line. Indoor heads are typically mounted high on a wall. Each indoor head corresponds with a heating and cooling zone that can be controlled independently.

Ductless heat pumps use liquid refrigerants and copper coils to extract heat from the outside air—even in frigid winter weather—and feed it into homes. Unlike other heating options, heat pumps provide both heating and cooling services. In the summer, heat pumps can cool your home by reversing the direction of the refrigerant flow. They cool rooms by extracting warm air and moisture from inside the house and expelling the excess heat outside. The system is controlled by a remote control that allows you to set the temperature and the operation mode: heating, cooling or dehumidifying.

Ductless systems are up to three times more efficient than baseboard, wall heat or electric furnaces.

Heat pumps are inherently more efficient than furnaces since the pumps simply transfer heat, where a furnace is working to generate heat. This means heat pumps require less energy to operate in temperate climates like Whidbey. Another advantage of heat pumps is that they can both heat and cool. With either system, home insulation is key. Ducts are notoriously inefficient as the air will cool (or heat on warm days) as it passes through the ducts, while blowing around dust and other particulates and increasing the risk of mold and mildew.

Ductless heating and cooling systems were developed in Japan in the 1970s and have since become a preferred heating and cooling system throughout Asia and much of Europe. In the United States, ductless systems have been used in commercial applications for over 20 years.

Before the Kicking Gas buy down and any tax credits that may apply, a single-zone installed ductless system costs between $5,000 and $7,000. Additional heating zones and greater heating capacities will increase the cost of the system.

Kicking Gas offers a decarbonization subsidy of 20%, 50% or 75% off the total installed cost for eligible homes (i.e., households converting from propane, oil, wood, or so-called “natural” gas) while our campaign lasts.

Puget Sound Energy offers a $400 - $600 distributor rebate that is passed on to the customer by PSE qualified installers, including Island Ductless Heat Pumps.

The Inflation Reduction Act offers a tax credit of 30% of installed cost, up to a maximum of $2,000, for heat pump installation. Fine Print: To qualify for a tax credit, the heat pump must meet CEE Tier 2 standards for efficiency. If you want to take advantage of the tax credit, be sure to ask your installer whether your equipment will meet CEE Tier 2 standards.

The Inflation Reduction Act also will offer a small number of upfront rebates, which will be distributed through State programs, likely in late 2024. The High Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act Covers 100% of electrification project costs for low-income households (who earn less than 80 percent of their Area Median Income) and 50% for those making less than 150% of Area Median Income.

Yes! Kicking Gas offers $500 for new electric range conversions, a $1,000 subsidy for electric induction ranges. It also offers subsidies ranging from $2,000 to $5,500 for heat pump water heaters (on a case-by-case basis in 2024). You can explore more options for rebates to electrify your home with the Inflation Reduction Act Calculator from Rewiring America. While Kicking Gas doesn’t yet have the capacity to provide subsidies for the full gamut of home electrification projects, we are excited to expand our program in the coming months and years with your support. Feel free to contact us to explore possibilities. You can also contribute to our electrification and education efforts in the Puget Sound region HERE.

At this time our program is targeted to community members seeking to switch from oil, propane, so-called natural gas, or wood to a heat pump. If you already have a heat pump, we applaud you – you are already saving!

In some cases, your installer may suggest a ducted system might work better for your circumstances. We do support decarbonization subsidies for ducted heat pump systems If your installer deems that the ductwork is suitable for a heat pump application. For example, if you want to re-use existing ductwork, the ductwork must be well insulated, properly attached and sealed, and sized appropriately for the gentle heat produced by heat pumps.

If you are currently heating with oil or propane, a ductless system can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Ductless systems can save consumers 25-50% in heating costs over other heating systems.

With proper maintenance and care, a ductless system can perform for 20+ years.

A ductless system consists of an outdoor unit, an indoor head, and a remote control for easy temperature control. Connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor head requires only a three-inch hole in the wall for installation, eliminating the need for expensive and invasive ductwork. A ductless installation can be completed in just a few days.

Ductless systems are tailored to meet the heating and cooling needs of your individual home. As such, there is a great deal of flexibility and variety when it comes to system designing as one indoor unit can provide between ¾ and 2½ tons of heating and cooling depending on its BTU capacity rating.

Ductless systems require basic maintenance to ensure optimum performance. In most cases maintenance is limited to keeping filters and coils clean. Most tasks can be performed at home by the resident in addition to periodic system checks and a deep clean by a heat pump installer.

You can definitely run a heat pump on a generator , although wea recommend having a certified electrician determine the proper size and specifications. Generally speaking, a heat pump on a 20-amp circuit would require a 3,880 watt generator. If you want to do more than just run your heat pump, you’d need a bigger generator. That said, Kicking Gas does recommend thinking outside the "generator" box when seeking to offset fossil fuel consumption and keeping indoor air safe year-round. Tools such as battery banks, solar panels, and even an electric vehicle’s power bank can be helpful, among other options.

Some folks choose to completely remove old, inefficient systems, and permanently close off leaking ducts. Others may opt to keep some existing heating infrastructure (for example, an electric space heater or wood stove) for various reasons. Your installer can help determine what the best choice is for you and your household.

Locally and at the state-level, accessible decommissioning measures are in motion but not yet widely available. Feel free to reach out to us to ascertain what resources might be available for your situation.

In certain climates, ground source heat pumps (GSHP) can be even more efficient than air-source heat pumps (ASHP), but these may have some downsides on Whidbey. Generally speaking, GSHP are best in climates with high temperature variability where it takes a significant amount of energy to pull heat from very cold air. In corresponding climates, steadier temps below ground help the heat pump run efficiently. However, GSHP installation requires extensive digging or drilling, permitting (in some locations), and dirt work – with a high up-front cost. Some properties may not have the ground space, and retroactive maintenance or adjustments to the ground system are costly. Typically, ASHP cost less to install, and provide the quickest return on investment in moderate climates like the Pacific Northwest.