For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Tryn Brown, Manager of Communications
Building Decarbonization Coalition
tbrown@buildingdecarb.org
Senator Wiener’s Heat Pump Access Act Advances in Legislature, Moving California Toward Faster, More Affordable Heat Pump Installations
SB 222 will standardize heat pump permitting statewide to make heat pump installations more accessible and affordable for homeowners and contractors while accelerating California’s climate goals.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 2, 2026) — SB 222, the Heat Pump Access Act authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), passed the Assembly Local Government Committee with bipartisan support after passing the Assembly Housing Committee last week. This bill will streamline heat pump permitting to make it faster, easier, and more affordable for homeowners and contractors to install heat pumps for space heating and cooling, and water heating. It will also help California meet its goal of installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030.
“Californians deserve a simple and affordable way to access heat pumps and life-saving cooling,” said Madison Vander Klay, Government Affairs Manager at the Building Decarbonization Coalition. “This bill is a practical and economic solution that cuts through red tape and makes highly efficient heat pumps faster, cheaper, and easier to install for everyone, all while helping put the state on track to meet its clean energy goals.”
New statewide data shows that California households can save on average $300 a year by switching to a heat pump for space heating and cooling. What’s more, 90% of heat pump water heater customers and 91% of heat pump HVAC customers report satisfaction with their equipment. By reducing fees and long wait times, SB 222 will further lower upfront installation costs and put these highly efficient appliances within reach for more Californians who need them.
“The Heat Pump Access Act takes a commonsense approach to permitting reform, much like what the state has already done for solar panels and electric vehicles,” said Sam Fishman, Sustainability and Resilience Policy Manager at San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). “California has set an ambitious goal of 6 million heat pump installations by 2030, and streamlining its fragmented, inconsistent permitting system is a crucial step toward achieving its clean energy targets.”
Currently, a patchwork of heat pump permit requirements across California’s 600 jurisdictions slows installations and drives up project costs. Homeowners and contractors routinely face long inspection wait times, multiple permit types, and surprise fees across cities and counties. As a result, an estimated 75 to 90 percent of heat pump installations are completed without a permit altogether, which means no safety checks and no oversight.
“Our contractors and technicians are on the frontlines of California’s clean energy transition,” said Vince Sugrue, State Legislative Director at the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 104. “Our members are prepared and trained to deliver smooth, low-cost heat pump installations for the highest level of system performance and energy efficiency, but now permitting needs to catch up. SB 222 will reduce delays, fees, and uncertainty that bog down projects for homeowners and contractors alike, without sacrificing safety or quality.”
SB 222 addresses these barriers by establishing a consistent statewide framework that requires:
- Automated permitting for standard heat pump installs
- Reasonable permit fees with no surprise costs
- Limitations on excessive HOA restrictions, documentation, or aesthetic rules
- A single permit type for heat pump HVAC and water heaters
Roughly a quarter of Californians still lack the air conditioning they need to stay safe during extreme heat, which disproportionately impacts low-income households and communities of color. Adding cooling for these households would add a median increase of $35 a year––or $3 a month. In addition to improving climate resilience across the state, streamlining permitting for heat pumps will also support Governor Gavin Newsom’s goals of installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
The Heat Pump Access Act is co-sponsored by the Building Decarbonization Coalition, the Bay Area Air District, and SPUR. The bill will now be referred to Appropriations.
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ABOUT THE BUILDING DECARBONIZATION COALITION
The Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) aligns critical stakeholders on a path to transform the nation’s buildings through clean energy, using policy, research, market development, and public engagement. The BDC and its members are charting the course to eliminate fossil fuels in buildings to improve people’s health, cut climate and air pollution, prioritize high-road jobs, and ensure that our communities are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Learn more at www.buildingdecarb.org.
ABOUT SPUR
SPUR—the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association—is a nonprofit public policy organization. Through research, education, and advocacy, we work to create an equitable, sustainable, and prosperous region by working at the nexus of housing, transportation, land use, economics, sustainability, and hazard resilience. One of SPUR’s sustainability and resilience policy team’s goals is to end the use of fossil fuels in Bay Area buildings by driving the adoption of electric appliances in existing buildings and new construction.
ABOUT THE BAY AREA AIR DISTRICT
The Bay Area Air District is the regional air quality regulatory agency for the San Francisco Bay Area and is committed to reducing air pollution in California and ensuring that every one of the region’s 7.5 million residents can breathe clean, healthful air. The Bay Area Air District is also committed to ensuring that the state’s most disproportionately affected populations realize emissions reductions as expeditiously as possible.