The states signed the heat pump agreement to clean up air pollution

Assembly of a Memorandum of Understanding for Residential Heating, Air Conditioning, and Water Heating to End Gas Hookups in the United States

In order to support widespread electrification of residential buildings, an action plan is being developed. The first-in-the-nation plan to ban gas hookups was killed in Berkeley by the fossil fuel industry, so governments have been forced to rethink their policies.

Nine states have signed a memorandum of understanding that says that heat pumps should make up at least 65 percent of residential heating, air conditioning, and water-heating shipments by 2030. (“Shipments” here means systems manufactured, a proxy for how many are actually sold.) California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island are aiming for 90 percent of their shipments to be heat pump shipments by the year 2040.

Buildings are a major source of pollution, accounting for more than a third of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions globally. Power plants in the US emit more emissions of pollutants such as NOx than buildings do. The nine states that have joined the Memorandum of Understanding create more than 138,000 tons of NOx and 6,000 tons of fine particulate matter pollution each year.

“Climate change poses a significant risk to our long-term economic success, impacts the health and livelihood of our communities, and disrupts the value chains on which we rely,” the letter says. A state’s adoption of building decarbonization policies and programs will help them meet both business and state goals, all while reducing climate-related health and safety risks.

Schneider Electric, Ikea, eBay, and two of the biggest manufacturers of heating and cooling equipment, Trane and Carrier, are some of the companies that support the plan. They signed a letter of support for the MOU yesterday.

“Even though it’s not legally binding, it does plant a flag and set a strong shared target that states are collectively moving in this direction,” says Emily Levin, senior policy advisor at Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM). The nonprofit association of air quality agencies spearheaded the effort to adopt an MOU.

The states hope to send a signal to the industry that they want to collaborate with heat pump manufacturers by tracking sales and progress. They will collaborate and share information, as well as work toward the best strategies for transitioning from gas to electric. They want to standardize the policies and regulations for heat pumps, so other states outside of the coalition will eventually be able to get more of them.