30 Family Child Care centers in SF receive advanced heat pump water heaters which California strongly promotes as one of the best clean technologies to improve air quality

SAN FRANCISCO — Thirty Family Child Care centers in San Francisco are on a list to receive advanced heat-pump water heaters for free under a childcare electrification pilot program aimed to improve air quality of the environment where the youngest generation grows.

The San Francisco Environment Department launched the child care electrification pilot program on March 3 in the Excelsior neighborhood with District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen and highlighted the advantages of installing new heat pump water heaters at home for the global environment.

Tyrone Jue, Director of the San Francisco Environment Department, said his department has partnered with the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood and non-profit Low-Income Investment Fund to select 30 centers among all the Family Child Care Homes in San Francisco to receive free heat pump water heaters as well as free installation services. Those selected centers are mostly located in the underserved neighborhoods like Excelsior serving their local communities.

Remaining site selection and installations will be completed throughout 2026. This is the fifth building electrification-related award that the city's Department of Environment has secured with a total of $84 million grants since November 2022.

Supervisor Chen was pleased to see family child care centers in her district to benefit from the pilot program. Neighborhoods in District 11 are among those having the highest percentages of families and children in the city.

The latest pilot program was built upon the existing partnership between Low-Income Investment Fund and the city's Department of Early Childhood supported by the 2018 San Francisco Proposition C funds to upgrade facilities and equipment at the family child care centers. The Low-Income Investment Fund aims for all new appliances installed through its renovation, repair, and expansion program to be electric.

Jue said the electrification pilot program launched by the San Francisco Environment Department was built on Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Opportunity Agenda, ensuring child care facilities are not only financially accessible, but also safe, healthy, and energy-efficient.

“Every child in San Francisco deserves a safe, healthy space where they can learn and grow,” said Lurie in a statement. “This grant will deliver heat pump water heaters to child care providers, helping create more comfortable, safe spaces while building a more sustainable future for our city.”

Corazones Daycare, a family child care center in Excelsior operated by Latino community members, was the first to be installed with a heat pump water heater.

Lerned Zint, owner of Corazones Daycare, remembered one of the traditional gas water heaters in the property where her child care center was located was broken down earlier.

She appreciated a rapid installation was performed and was very happy with the replacement which was an advanced type of water heater for free.

“The City’s help was essential for my household and was very helpful for the daycare to continue working properly and without interruption,” said Zint.

The heat pump water heater pilot program is also good for health and environment. Jue said the clean technology will provide energy efficiency upgrades to the child care facilities, help to lower long-term utility costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The State of California and PG&E also promote the heat pump water heater technology

San Francisco's child care electrification pilot program was funded by a $300,000 state grant from TECH Clean California, a statewide initiative to accelerate the adoption of clean space and focus on promoting water heating technology across California homes. It’s goal is to help create an equitable pathway to carbon-free homes by 2045 and install six million heat pumps by 2030.

TECH Clean California is funded by California ratepayers and taxpayers and administered by Energy Solutions which is overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission.

California encourages businesses and homes to replace gas-powered appliances, including water heaters, stoves, furnaces, and dryers, with electric equipment that can improve indoor air quality, increase occupant comfort, and promote better health outcomes.

According to the California Air Resources Board, 85% of on-site building emissions come from space and water heating and cooling. Heat pump technologies are key to decarbonizing buildings and achieving California's zero-carbon goals.

"Heat pumps are ideal for California's dry, temperate climate and can be used for space heating, air conditioning, and water heating," TECH Clean California noted. "Heat pumps also give customers greater control than conventional technologies, which leads to more comfortable homes."

PG&E also actively promotes electrification to customers including the heat-pump technology for water heating. "More Californians are swapping out gas appliances for electric options, driving electric vehicles, and installing solar and/or battery storage. Making the switch to an all-electric home has many benefits," PG&E stated in its clean energy webpage.

Electric appliances are 3-5 times more energy-efficient than gas counterparts. Energy-efficient technology can help lower your energy usage, which can translate into savings on your energy bill. With solar and battery storage, you can keep important appliances or devices running during an outage.

Electrification helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and supports the transition to clean energy, according to PG&E. Heat-pump technology is the most efficient way to heat water and heat and cool your home, PG&E said.

Instead of generating heat, heat pumps transfer heat from one place to another. It's also essential to moving toward an energy-efficient electric home.

PG&E suggests customers can start with replacing an old, inefficient appliance or one that needs major repairs for transitioning to an electric home.

Water heaters are the largest consumer of energy and account for the most gas usage in many California homes. Switching to an electric heat pump water heater is key in the transition to a clean, modern, all-electric home, PG&E says.

In terms of energy bill, PG&E says residential customers can save $714 per year, or about 17%, by switching from gas to highly efficient electric heat pump technology for space and water heating.

A heat pump water heater costs from $1,200 - $5,500 based on the tank size, labor, and other materials. It uses about 70% less energy to heat water than a standard gas-powered water heater that can save each residential customer around $118 per year on average or 3% on energy bills.

More information about electric appliances and heat pumps appliances can be found at PG&E webpage: https://www.pge.com/en/clean-energy/building-electrification.html.