King County is helping residents improve indoor air quality, reduce fossil fuel use and access efficient heating and cooling through the Energize Program. 

Thanks to $1.5 million in funding from the Washington Department of Commerce, the King County Executive Climate Office (ECO) will be able to expand its Energize services to adult family homes, providing them with energy efficiency and climate resilience improvements. The homes will receive free heat pumps and other building upgrades.  

To find out whether an adult family home is eligible, join an upcoming workshop on January 7 or January 9 by clicking here.

The new funding is awarded through the state’s Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program, supported by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports climate action by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov. 

It comes just months after the Climate Office received $2.6 million from the state to expand its work to additional households and in-home day care facilities in 2025. 

King County piloted Energize in 2023 and announced a full launch in 2024. Initially, the program was designed to provide heat pumps and other clean technology to homes in North Highline and Skyway-West Hill.

The neighborhoods were selected because they face less tree canopy cover and more pollution than other areas of the county, leading to higher public health impacts during periods of extreme heat. Supporting climate resilience is a key objective in the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, and a mission that drives much of ECO’s work. 

The Energize program gained attention for its customer-focused design and equity-based approach and attracted additional funding from the Climate Commitment Act. That award will help the program expand to include home energy audits, plumbing improvements, electric appliances and weatherization services.  

Heat pumps are considered an efficient, climate-friendly way to heat and cool a home with clean energy rather than fossil fuels. The U.S. Department of Energy says some heat pumps can reduce electricity use for heating by up to 75% and provide significantly more efficient home cooling. 

In 2024, King County released its first Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy. The report underscored disparities in the ways residents experience heat and outlined actions to improve resilience. Expanding access to heat pumps was among the objectives. 

The Energize program contributes to King County ECO’s mission to coordinate, elevate and accelerate climate action, preparedness and resilience. To learn more about the launch of Energize, click here.

To learn more about the Energize program and the services it offers, visit https://kingcounty.gov/energize.