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New California building code encourages, but does not mandate heat pumps

Codes and Standards

New California building code encourages, but does not mandate heat pumps

Modified plan removes requirement for all broken A/C units to be replaced with heat pumps


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor  | September 17, 2024
New California building code encourages, but does not mandate heat pumps Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

New California homes are more likely to have all-electric appliances starting in 2026 after the state’s energy regulators approved new state building standards.

The new building code will encourage installation of heat pumps without actually banning gas heating. The new code is a less ambitious version of a previous draft, which would have required all broken A/C units to be replaced with a heat pump.

The new code allows local governments to incorporate their own heat pump replacement requirements, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee. The new rules also require replacing broken large rooftop heating and air-conditioning units on existing retail buildings, schools, offices, and libraries with high efficiency systems including heat pumps.

The energy commission wants to quadruple the number of homes with heat pumps to 6 million by 2030. More than 1 million have already been installed in the state’s roughly 14 million homes.

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