A combination of mandates and incentives for cleaner energy makes California a fast-growing market for heat pumps. Natural gas hookups are becoming an endangered species in the state, with 26 counties and cities enacting complete bans. At the same time, state and local governments offer incentives for electrification, including solar panel installation.
Charley Cormany, executive director of Efficiency First California, is a former HVAC contractor who now works with a trade group for home performance contractors. The group used to focus mainly on energy efficiency, but more and more, its focus is becoming greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. That means looking at the largest carbon producers in a building, and two major sources of GHG are water heating and space heating.