Tumwater staff and regional partners on Nov. 3 presented a closeout report for Energize Thurston, a subsidized group‑purchase program that helped install heat pumps and heat‑pump water heaters in Tumwater homes.

Alyssa Jones Wood, who presented the briefing, said the program used $447,540 in grant funds from the Climate Commitment Act and an additional $10,696.63 from the city’s sustainability general fund. According to the presentation, that money paid for 29 subsidized heat‑pump installations and seven subsidized heat‑pump water heaters; four additional heat pumps and one water heater were installed by residents who self‑funded but used the program’s negotiated pricing.

Staff said the installations reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions and increase household resilience. The presentation estimated about 455.8 metric tons of CO2 avoided from the year’s installations and noted that 25 participating households did not have home cooling before their heat pumps were installed. Presenters said many recipients were fixed‑income seniors for whom added cooling improves health and safety during hotter summers.

The presentation included three short participant videos in which recipients described improved home comfort and lower energy use; one participant called the heat pump a “magic machine” that moves heat rather than generates it. Jones Wood said the program coordinators worked with Squaxin Island cultural‑resources staff to avoid disturbing culturally sensitive ground during installation and that the application for a new round of grant funding opened the same day.

Councilmembers thanked staff and volunteers for implementing the program and noted its climate and public‑health benefits for low‑income residents. Jones Wood said the program had served all income‑qualified applicants in Tumwater for the year and that staff will apply for additional grant funds in hopes of serving 30–50 more homes next year.