Seattle Heat Pump Rebates, HVAC Permits, License Checks

Seattle is a heating town. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Sea-Tac show 4,376 heating degree days a year and just 265 cooling degree days. Seattle City Light takes $300 to $600 off a qualifying heat pump through your contractor. The City lists a $2,000 rebate for oil-heated homes that switch. Any furnace replacement needs an SDCI permit, and a split heat pump needs a refrigeration permit.

How much heating and cooling does a Seattle home need?

A degree day measures how far a day's average temperature sits below or above 65°F. Add a year of them up and you get a rough gauge of how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. By that gauge, Seattle logs 4,376 heating degree days a year against 265 cooling degree days. The figures below are NOAA's annual normals for the Seattle-Tacoma airport station, USW00024233.

The monthly normals for the same station show how lopsided the year is. December adds about 711 heating degree days and January about 687. November through February log no cooling degree days at all. Most of the cooling falls in July and August, at about 96 and 98 cooling degree days.

Hot spells are rare but they do happen. NOAA's daily records for Sea-Tac show highs of 102°F, 104°F and 108°F on June 26, 27 and 28, 2021. In a normal year, only about four days reach 90°F.

What those numbers mean when you replace equipment:

• Heat is the main job. Ask for a room-by-room load calculation (ACCA Manual J) rather than a copy of the old furnace's size. Our repair or replace guide covers the decision itself.
• Hard freezes are uncommon. NOAA counts about one night a year at 20°F or colder. Still, ask for the heat pump's heating output at your coldest expected night and whether backup heat is in the quote.
• A heat pump brings cooling with it. If your house has no central air, a heat pump covers the few hot days in the same install.
• You can keep the gas furnace. A hybrid setup pairs a heat pump with the furnace. Our dual fuel heat pump guide explains how the two share the load.
• Placement has rules. Seattle limits outdoor unit noise at the property line. See the permit section below.

How much does Seattle City Light pay toward a heat pump?

Seattle City Light is the city's electric utility. Its Home Energy Solutions page lists an instant discount on air-source heat pumps under 5.4 tons. The amount rises with efficiency. HSPF2 rates heating efficiency, and SEER2 rates cooling.

City Light calls it an instant contractor discount, and says contractor instant discounts are available only through participating distributors. Do-it-yourself installs are not eligible. The heat pump section does not say what kind of heat you must be replacing.

Homes with electric baseboard or other line-voltage heat have a second option. City Light offers $50 per smart line-voltage thermostat, up to five per customer, as an instant rebate when you buy online from the retailer. The offer runs through December 31, 2026, subject to funding.

Is there a rebate for switching from oil heat in Seattle?

Yes, and it is larger than City Light's. The City's Clean Heat Program lists a $2,000 instant rebate when you switch from oil to a qualified Mitsubishi Electric heat pump. A participating contractor has to do the install, and the page gives no end date for this base rebate, so ask the contractor whether it is still being paid. Households earning between 81% and 150% of area median income can add a $4,000 bonus, for up to $6,000. The bonus covers installs completed by May 30, 2027.

If your income is under the lower limit, the City sends you to the Office of Housing instead. Its Oil-to-Electric Program converts an oil furnace to a heat pump for free for eligible households. It also handles oil tank decommissioning and a health and safety inspection. Homeowners and renters inside Seattle city limits can apply. The contact is (206) 684-0244 or [email protected].

City Light's page also points income-eligible customers to the Office of Housing's HomeWise weatherization program. It describes HomeWise as free heating and cooling system and insulation upgrades.

What does Puget Sound Energy offer Seattle gas customers?

Gas in Seattle comes from Puget Sound Energy (PSE). The Seattle Fire Department's After the Fire guide lists PSE as the city's natural gas utility. City Light's page tells gas-heated homes to check PSE for thermostat rebates.

PSE's own rebate pages were not reachable when we checked them on November 10, 2026. What we could read is PSE's 2026-2027 program details, filed with the state Utilities and Transportation Commission on October 31, 2025. For existing single-family homes, it lists:

• Space heat. Hybrid systems that add a high-efficiency heat pump to an existing gas furnace or pair one with a new furnace. Also conversions from electric resistance heat to heat pumps.
• Smart thermostats. ENERGY STAR smart models, as an instant rebate or after purchase.
• Efficiency Boost. Higher rebates for moderate-income customers who do not qualify for low-income programs.

The filing gives no dollar amounts. Before you count on a PSE rebate in a quote, call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 and ask what your account qualifies for. PSE's 2025 customer notice lists it as the number for reaching PSE and for bill assistance questions.

Are Washington state or federal heat pump rebates open in Seattle?

Commerce says one state program is running. The federal ones are not open in Washington yet. Here is where each stood on November 10, 2026.

• State HEAR rebates. The Department of Commerce calls its State Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program "already up and running." Its HEAR page says local administrators run it for households at or below 150% of area median income. The City of Seattle, King County and the Seattle 2030 District are among the administrators listed for this area. Commerce posts contact details as contracts are finalized.
• Federal HOMES and HARP rebates. Commerce's tracker puts these at step 5 of 7, "Program operation preparation." It says it is evaluating how DOE's updated program notices affect the program. When they open, you must apply and be approved before you buy anything.
• The federal view. The Department of Energy says Home Energy Rebates "are now available in select states" and sends you to your state energy office.
• Federal tax credit. The IRS page covers improvements made through December 31, 2025. A heat pump or furnace installed in 2026 falls outside it.

Do you need a permit to replace a furnace or install a heat pump in Seattle?

Yes, for both. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) says in its furnace and refrigeration FAQ that any furnace replacement or alteration needs a permit. A split system heat pump, an air conditioner, or any job with refrigeration piping needs a refrigeration permit.

Who may apply is different for each. A homeowner can get a furnace or mechanical STFI permit. Only a licensed refrigeration contractor can get a refrigeration permit, so for a split heat pump or central air you have to hire one. SDCI's refrigeration permit page adds that the installer needs a City of Seattle refrigeration mechanic's license that fits the refrigerant in the system.

Gas piping is its own permit. SDCI's mechanical permit page says that permit does not cover plumbing, gas lines or refrigeration.

Here is how a furnace permit and its inspections run, per SDCI's FAQ:

1. Open an account on the Seattle Services Portal.
2. Pick the permit. Under Create New, choose Permits-Trade, Construction, and Land Use, then Trade Permits, then Furnace or Mechanical STFI.
3. Name who does the work. Enter your contractor, or tick the homeowner affidavit box if you are doing it yourself. A mechanical STFI permit needs drawings attached.
4. Pay the initial fees at checkout.
5. Book a cover inspection once the equipment and ducts are roughed in, before anything is closed up. Some systems need more than one.
6. Book the final inspection when the install is done. Requests made before 7:00 a.m. get a same-day visit. Call (206) 684-8950 between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. that day for a two to four hour window.

Seattle also limits outdoor unit noise at the property line. The SDCI FAQ lists limits of 45 to 55 decibels, depending on the equipment and the time of day; ask your installer which limit applies to your unit and where it sits. Equipment in a side yard needs a noise review. Ductless systems skip that review unless SDCI gets a noise complaint.

How do you check an HVAC contractor's license in Seattle?

Do two checks. Start with Washington L&I's Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business search. You can search by name, license number, workers' comp account or UBI number. L&I says it shows whether the contractor is registered and covered by workers' comp, plus any citations and any lawsuits against its bond. It also confirms a worker's Washington electrical certificate.

For a heat pump or AC, check the City license too. SDCI's refrigeration licensing page lists a refrigeration and air conditioning contractor's license for businesses. Installers hold a journey refrigeration mechanic license in Class A, B or C, by refrigerant type. The page links a "Find Trade Licenses by Last Name" search on the Seattle Services Portal. The licensing technician answers at (206) 684-5174.

A company's website rarely makes these checks easy. The table below compares the HVAC company websites we audited in the Seattle area with every city we have measured. It shows how many sites leave their Google rating off the page, how many have no contact form, and how long the main content takes to show on a phone. It covers a small sample of companies that advertise on Google, not every contractor in town.

Turn those gaps into a routine before you book anyone:

• Look the company up on Google Maps and read its newest reviews, the low ones included. A site that shows no rating tells you nothing either way.
• No form on the site? Phone the office. Ask for the L&I registration number and, for heat pump or AC work, the Seattle refrigeration contractor license. Look both up before anyone visits.
• Ask whose name goes on the SDCI permit and whether the price includes the cover and final inspections.
• For City Light's discount, ask that the bid show the SEER2 and HSPF2 ratings and the discount as a line item. City Light suggests getting at least three bids.
• Heating with oil? Ask whether the contractor takes part in Clean Heat and can finish before the bonus deadline.

Our guide to comparing HVAC quotes lists what else a written bid should spell out.

What should you do if you smell gas in Seattle?

Get out first. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission's pipeline emergency page says to leave the building right away. Do not turn lights on or off, and do not call from a landline or cell phone while inside. Leave doors and windows open on your way out so the gas can vent.

Once you are well away from the smell, call 911 and PSE. The Seattle Fire Department's 2016 After the Fire guide lists PSE's natural gas line as 1-888-225-5773, with a PSE service person available 24 hours a day. PSE's 2025 customer notice gives the same number. Wait for utility or emergency crews to say it is safe before you go back in.

A furnace can also leak carbon monoxide, which you cannot smell. Our furnace carbon monoxide guide covers the warning signs and what to do next.

Questions people ask