2021 Quick Start Grant Recipients
Barnett Plumbing
Overview
Barnett Plumbing will test whether providing temporary gas water heaters to customers who need an emergency water heater replacement—to provide water heating while home upgrades required to support a heat pump system are made—will enable more households to fuel-switch.
Market Barrier
Most water heaters are replaced only when they stop working. In these situations, customers are often unwilling to wait for the potential electrical or infrastructural upgrades, permits, or other alterations required for switching from gas to heat pump water heating, as their most urgent need is to get a water heater back in service.
Proposed Solution
If a gas customer would like to fuel-switch to a heat pump water heater, Barnett Plumbing will loan the customer a free gas water heater, installed at no cost, to bridge the amount of time needed for the necessary electrical or infrastructural home upgrades. Barnett Plumbing will provide the loaned water heaters while QSG funding will cover the plumbers’ installation labor.
Theory of Change
If this approach succeeds in increasing the number of customers who decide to fuel-switch, it could be expanded by TECH funding in future years of the program or supported by other statewide funding.
Project Status:
Complete
Housing Type:
Single-family
Technology:
HPWH
Location:
Tri-Valley area in Contra Costa and Alameda counties