photo courtesy of Pixabay user paulbr75
(OLYMPIA) Planning a new home? Maybe you’re mapping out a new apartment complex?
Your heating options have been narrowed.
Earlier this year, the state building code council appointed by Governor Inslee changed the rules, requiring heat pumps be installed in new, larger buildings and commercial buildings starting in July 2023.
This past Friday, they added new homes and apartment buildings to that same list.
According to the council’s numbers, the use of heat pumps powered by electricity would eventually save 50% in heating costs. It would also cut down on pollution. They say these buildings with conventional heating sources currently account for a third of Seattle’s and a quarter of Washington’s greenhouse emissions.
This is one of a few new rules to come out of Olympia for new construction. A suite of bills aiming to update building codes, improve energy use in office buildings and lower the cost of heat pumps all failed to pass the state Legislature earlier this year.
