Heat pumps in California
California has the most aggressive heat pump targets in the country and 4.2% of homes actually running one. Cheap piped natural gas is most of the explanation, and mild coastal winters are the rest — in much of the state the heating load is so small that nobody thinks hard about how it is met.
Heat pump adoption
EIA RECS 2020 microdata ↗4.2% of California homes use a heat pump as their main heat
Goal: every home
Central heat pumps and ductless mini-splits combined, counted as the home's main heating equipment.
Episodes
Recorded in California
Homeowners and contractors in CA, in their own words.
Money and next steps
What California pays toward one
California Energy Commission — Residential Rebates
The state coordinates the federal HOMES and HEAR rebates alongside TECH Clean California. Demand has been heavy: single-family HEEHRA reservations were fully committed statewide in early 2026, with later requests waitlisted. Check current availability before planning around it.
Program details →Federal Home Energy Rebates
The IRA rebate programs (HEAR and HOMES) survived the 2025 tax changes — they were grants to states, not tax credits. Each state runs its own, and they are at different stages: some open, some already out of money, some yet to launch. Check where California stands before you count on it.
Program details →
The federal 25C tax credit — 30% back, up to $2,000 on a heat pump — ended for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025. If you had one installed in 2025 or earlier you can still claim it; there is no successor credit. Incentives move fast, so check DSIRE for what is current in California. Last checked September 2026.
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The numbers
What a heat pump here has to cover
48°F
Coldest month average low
Los Angeles · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
84°F
Warmest month average high
Los Angeles · NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Cooling is the load that sizes the system here, and heating is the easy part — a heat pump covers it without breaking a sweat. The efficiency question is mostly about how hard the unit works in August, not January.