TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Go Electric Truckee Tahoe program launched its free personalized electrification coaching service, offering technical assistance to home and building owners in the Truckee Tahoe region. This service is specifically for those interested in replacing natural gas appliances with heat pumps for space heating & cooling and water heating.  The personalized coaching service helps walk interested residents and businesses through the electrification process by connecting them with qualified contractors, researching relevant rebates and funding opportunities, and helping them complete an online home assessment.  

Go Electric Truckee Tahoe is the new name for the Climate Transformation Alliance (CTA) program formerly known as Truckee Tahoe Building Decarbonization Pilot Program. The program is hosted by the CTA and Sierra Business Council (SBC), the nonprofit facilitator of the CTA. Go Electric Truckee Tahoe emerged from CTA and SBC’s shared goal of achieving a carbon-free community for Truckee and  Lake Tahoe and includes several components to advance regional building decarbonization such as providing training and mentorship opportunities to upskill the local workforce in heat pump installations and connecting them to interested residents and businesses. Balance Point Home Performance, a Nevada County home performance company, has worked alongside SBC to develop this program and offer free workforce education and training programming customized to the area’s challenges, such as installing heat pumps that can withstand the high snow load and winter conditions unique to the Truckee-Tahoe region. 

Electrification resources for contractors and homeowners alike can be found on the program’s website. Interested residents are able to view a list of contractors in the area that provide heat pump installation along with building envelope services and home energy audits. Information regarding local, statewide, and federal rebates along with electrification guidance to further inspire action and electrification measure adoption is available online at goelectrictruckeetahoe.org, as well. 

“Since 2023, heat pumps have been outselling traditional furnaces and have proven to work well in extremely cold and snowy climates. Go Electric Truckee Tahoe’s electrification coaching service supports this growing interest in heat pumps throughout the region by helping residents navigate the switch from fossil fuels to electric heat pump systems” said Brittney Gutierrez, project manager of Go Electric Truckee Tahoe. “Electrifying your home or building can often be daunting and this service aims to make the electrification process easy by connecting residents to contractors that can install heat pumps while also providing insight into available funding opportunities to reduce upgrade costs. Beyond supporting individual residents, this initiative plays a vital role in reducing harmful pollutants and enhancing the Truckee Tahoe community and region.”