SMUD and its customers have achieved a major clean energy milestone for the Sacramento region, the California public power utility reported.
Through SMUD’s Advanced Home Solutions program, more than 20,000 gas-fired space and water heating systems have been replaced with high-efficiency electric heat pumps.
Households that have made the switch from gas to electric using heat pump technology are saving an average of $500 per year on utility bills — money that stays in the local economy. Together, customers are keeping $5 million annually in their pockets to boost the local economy, SMUD sais.
"Once my old gas water heater started having issues, I decided to take advantage of SMUD’s rebate for a heat pump," said George El-Chemali, a SMUD customer. "Switching over has been nothing but amazing — it works better, it’s more affordable and it feels good knowing the change is better for the environment."
"Every day, more Sacramento families are discovering that heat pumps can heat and cool their homes more affordably while helping our community breathe cleaner air," said Rachel Huang, director of Distributed Energy Solutions. "SMUD continues to show that clean energy isn't just good for the environment — it's good for family budgets, too."
Despite their growing popularity, many customers are just learning about heat pump appliances, which can dramatically reduce customers’ energy bills and carbon footprints, the utility said.
SMUD offers rebates to help more customers make the switch to heat pump technologies:
• Up to $2,500 rebate for a heat pump HVAC system
• Up to $3,000 rebate for a heat pump water heater
• These can be combined with federal tax credits of up to $2,000, (expiring December 31, 2025) as well as state and federal incentives.
Beyond heat pumps, SMUD offers rebates for induction cooktops and home EV charging. So far, residential customers have installed 8,000+ chargers and 2,300+ induction cooktops with SMUD support.
