Washington, D.C
Want government money for a heat pump? Time might be running out
A technician installs an electrical heat pump at a home in Washington, DC, in August 2024.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Heat pumps are electric appliances that can both heat and cool your home.
Scientists see them as a climate solution because heat pumps reduce planet-heating emissions. They cut pollution from burning gas for heating, and reduce the use of gas infrastructure that leaks planet-heating methane gas.
And heat pumps are highly efficient, which means less electricity is needed to use them than traditional heating systems like fossil fuel furnaces and boilers. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory calculate that 62% to 95% of households would save money by switching to a heat pump. “ It’s an enormous amount of savings,” says Ari Matusiak, CEO of the nonprofit, Rewiring America. “That’s just a fact of the technology being superior.”
The Biden administration’s 2022 climate legislation introduced new federal tax incentives of up to $2,000 for heat pump equipment and installation costs. Many states as well as cities and utilities offer additional financial incentives.
So what money is available right now for a prospective heat pump buyer? And how might a second Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress impact this money?
Here are the answers to your heat pump and money questions.
Before we get to money, remind me, how do heat pumps work?
Heat pumps are “basically this magical two-in-one device,” Matusiak says.
For cooling, heat pumps work like air conditioners. They run on electricity and use refrigerants. For heating, heat pumps also use refrigerants. The refrigerants absorb bits of heat from outdoor air and bring them inside to warm up a home.
Some types of heat pumps are specifically designed for extra cold climates, and heat pump sales are booming in countries like Norway, Finland and Sweden.
What kind of money can I currently get from the federal government to buy a heat pump?
The U.S. federal government is currently offering up to $2,000 for homeowners buying heat pumps. The money comes in the form of a tax credit, which lowers your final tax bill, says Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a research organization working on saving energy.
Nadel notes not all heat pumps are eligible for the federal tax credit. The heat pump has to have a high efficiency rating from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, a nonprofit. Some manufacturer websites list tax credit-eligible equipment, as does the ENERGY STAR Product Finder. Nadel says to check the Department of Energy’s website to see which heat pumps qualify for federal tax credits.
James Tucker with an efficient heat pump for his home near Oakland, Calif.
Julia Simon/NPR
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Julia Simon/NPR
What about states, cities, and my local utility? Can I get money from them?
Many homeowners can get additional money for heat pumps from their local utility, state, or city. Some states, cities and utilities have incentive programs they pay for themselves. There’s some additional money for states from the federal government and the 2022 national climate legislation.
Some states offer heat pump money as tax credits. Some money comes in the form of “point of sale” rebates. That means the money comes off the top of the price of equipment or installation. Utilities often offer post-purchase rebates.
Rewiring America and another nonprofit called The Switch is On have online tools that use people’s zip codes and income to search for which federal, state, local, and utility incentives consumers qualify for. Nadel encourages prospective buyers to check in with their local utility to see if it offers additional money.
I’m a renter and want to buy a heat pump. Can I get money too?
More than a third of Americans rent. While some renters are not in a position to, say, swap out their homeowner’s furnace, some renters with flexibility might be interested in a portable heat pump. Portable heat pumps can go into a window much like a window air conditioning unit and plug into the wall for power.
Matusiak says window heat pumps may soon be eligible for more of these rebate programs, so he encourages prospective buyers to also check out Rewiring America’s online tool.
What do the incoming Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress mean for current heat pump incentives?
Shuting Pomerleau, director of energy and environmental policy at the American Action Forum, a conservative think tank, is not optimistic about the future of federal heat pump money. “ Those incentives, whether they’re tax credits or, rebate programs are likely to go away under the upcoming Republican trifecta,” Pomerleau says.
The incoming Republican-led congress will be looking for revenue to pay for tax cuts, says Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the center for energy, climate, and environment at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington. They will likely get rid of spending programs from Biden’s 2022 climate legislation, she says, including the tax credits for heat pumps.
The Trump transition team did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.
Pomerleau notes that while federal heat pump money is at risk of drying up, some states may choose to continue their incentive programs using other money.
Matusiak says that heat pump rebate programs have been popular in red and purple states as well as blue states. He notes that after the election, states including Texas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio applied for federal money for their heat pump rebate programs.
A technician removes a gas water heater from a home in Washington, DC. Researchers see heat pumps as climate solutions because they often replace appliances that run on fossil fuels like gas. Heat pumps run on electricity that’s increasingly powered by renewable energy.
BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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BASTIEN INZAURRALDE/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
So if I’m thinking about getting a heat pump, does it make sense to get one sooner rather than later?
Nadel and Matusiak say before you rush out and buy a heat pump, think about what you already have in your home and how well it’s working.
“If you have a perfectly functioning furnace that you bought two years ago, you shouldn’t go get rid of it,” Matusiak says.
But if it starts to die, he says, then buy a heat pump.
Pomerleau says it may make sense to buy that heat pump sooner rather than later to be sure to access federal money. She thinks it will take Republicans some time to make changes to the tax code, but she suggests buying a new heat pump before the end of the 2025 calendar year to be more sure of qualifying for a federal tax credit.
WASHINGTON – The Metropolitan Police Department released new body camera footage on Friday of an officer firing his gun at an armed carjacking suspect last month.
The backstory:
The carjacking happened early in the morning of June 24.
According to MPD, two suspects held a man at gunpoint in the 700 block of 19th Street in Northeast Washington before taking his keys and driving off.
After the carjacking, officers searched the city for the suspects, before finding the car on Valley Avenue in Southeast. Officers tried to pull the car over, but the driver took off, before bailing at 2nd and Xenia Streets.
What we know:
The body camera footage released Friday picks up during officers’ search for the suspects.
In the short clip, the officer can be heard shouting out the window of his patrol car before firing out the window.
According to MPD, the officer was driving on Livingston Road SE when he saw one of the suspects. The officer asked the suspect to show their hands, but instead, MPD said the suspect pointed a rifle at the officer. That’s when the officer fired, and the suspect ran off into the woods.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 13-year-old charged in DC armed carjacking, officer shoots at second suspect
What’s next:
That suspect is still on the run, according to MPD. A second suspect was arrested the night of the carjacking. The 13-year-old has been charged with armed carjacking, reckless driving, and fleeing from a law enforcement officer.
The United States Attorney’s Office for DC and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division Force Investigation Team will both review the shooting.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Metropolitan Police Department and previous FOX 5 DC reports.
Washington, D.C
What’s that noise? What you need to know about D.C. flyovers Friday and Saturday – WTOP News
Reagan National Airport will close for America 250 flyover rehearsals Friday and celebrations Saturday featuring the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels and more.
Reagan National Airport will close from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday for rehearsals ahead of this weekend’s America 250 celebrations, meaning people around D.C., Arlington and Alexandria may hear and see low-flying military aircraft.
According to Freedom 250 event organizers, Friday’s “Wings of Freedom” demonstrations over the National Mall will feature parachute teams, helicopters and military aircraft, including the U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey and F-35B, the Navy’s F-18F and F-35C, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, the Thunderbirds and a tri-bomber formation.
On Saturday, the FAA will close the airport from noon to midnight for the full celebration. All arrivals and departures at Reagan National are scheduled to end before noon.
Flyovers and demonstrations are scheduled throughout the afternoon and evening along the National Mall and Washington Monument grounds, including appearances by Air Force One, the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, military aircraft fleet reviews, parachute demonstrations and B-2 stealth bombers.
Highlights include an Air Force One flyover scheduled for 7:03 p.m., a Thunderbirds demonstration beginning at 6:25 p.m., a tri-bomber formation at 6:02 p.m. and a stealth aircraft flyover at 7:38 p.m.
Friday’s schedule of flyovers and demonstration rehearsals along the National Mall and Washington Monument
- 10 a.m.: Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
- 10:15 a.m.: Army Helo Flyover
- 10:20 a.m.: USMC V-22 Osprey Demo
- 10:35 a.m.: USMC F-35B STOVL Demo
- 10:50 a.m.: USN F-18F Demo
- 11:10 a.m.: USN F-35C Demo Team
- 11:30 a.m.: USAF F-22 Raptor Demo
- 11:50 a.m.: NASA F-5s
- 12 p.m.: HUGE (1) Formation
- 12:05 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds
- 12:55 p.m.: USAF Tri-Bomber
Saturday’s schedule of flyovers and demonstration along the National Mall and Washington Monument
- 1:14 p.m.: – NASA F-5 Flyover
- 1:24 p.m.: -NASA Fleet Review
- 1:44 p.m.: USCG Helo Flyover
- 1:54 p.m.: USCG Fixed Wing Flyover
- 2:09 p.m.: Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
- 2:29 p.m.: Army Helo Flyover
- 2:44 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Heavies
- 2:54 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 2 – AFSOC
- 3:04 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Wave 3 – Fighters
- 3:29 p.m.: Executive Rotary Wing Airlift
- 3:39 p.m.: USMC Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Rotary
- 3:49 p.m.: USMC Fleet Review – Wave 2 – Fixed Wing
- 3:59 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 1 – Rotary
- 4:09 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 2 – Fixed Wing
- 4:19 p.m.: USN Fleet Review – Wave 3 – Fighters
- 4:21 p.m.: USN F-18F Demonstration
- 4:59 p.m.: USN Blue Angels
- 5:26 p.m.: USMC MV-22 Osprey Demonstration
- 5:44 p.m.: USAF Fleet Review – Fighters
- 6:02 p.m.: USAF Tri-Bomber Formation
- 6:05 p.m.: USN F-35C Demonstration
- 6:25 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration
- 7:03 p.m.: Air Force One Flyover
- 7:07 p.m.: USAF Thunderbirds Delta Break
- 7:17 p.m.: HUGE 1 Flyover Led by the Newly Renovated Air Force One
- 7:38 p.m.: U.S. Stealth Airpower Flyover
- 7:39 p.m.: F-22 Raptor Demo
- 7:53 p.m.: F-22 Raptor in Afterburner
- 7:59 p.m.: B-1 Flyover
- 8:07 p.m.: B-1’s in Afterburner
- 8:11 p.m.: HUGE ONE Fly Over Review
- 8:22 p.m.: Golden Knights Twilight Jump
- 10:36 p.m.: B-1 Afterburner Night Pass
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An Air Force major was arrested in uniform on the steps of the Capitol after he called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested Jason Watson, an active-duty service member, on Wednesday afternoon following remarks at a news conference where he said Trump and Vice President JD Vance should be removed from office.
The event was organized by the Removal Coalition, a group that lobbies members of Congress to impeach Trump, and attended by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who has repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump.
“I’m here with him because Rep. Green is the only member of Congress that has demonstrated the courage and conviction to … force a vote on articles of impeachment,” Watson said at the event. “If Congress followed his example, we could remove the entire Trump administration, but Congress remains unconvinced of the urgency and necessity for them to honor their oaths, so we must persuade them with our unrelenting, uncompromising civil resistance.”
Watson said he is not a Democrat and does not share policy positions with Green, who lost his re-election bid this year. Green’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Watson’s arrest.
Capitol Police said in a statement that it “is generally against the law for the public to demonstrate on the House Steps unless they are with a Member of Congress.”
“Yesterday afternoon, a man was escorted to the House Steps by a Member of Congress,” the statement said. “When the Member of Congress left the area, our officers gave the man lawful orders to stop the illegal demonstration or he would be arrested. The man refused our lawful orders.”
Capitol Police identified the man as Watson, adding that he was arrested on charges of “Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding” and that it is legal to protest in other spots on the Capitol grounds.
Service members are subject to stricter laws than the average citizen when it comes to protesting. The Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits officers from “using contemptuous language towards the President, Vice president, the Secretaries of War and of a military department, Congress, and certain other officials,” according to an Air Force memo last year.
An Air Force spokesperson said in a statement Thursday: “Service members must comply with all laws, regulations and policies governing conduct and the wear of the uniform. All Department of the Air Force personnel are expected to uphold the highest standards of discipline and professionalism, both on and off duty.”
All service members, not just members of the Air Force, are prohibited from participating in “political activities” in uniform.
Watson’s criticism of Trump and Vance focused on the administration’s actions in Venezuela and Iran, calling them “an unconstitutional usurpation of Congress’ authority and a violation of the War Powers Clause.”
“These violations resulted in the deaths of 13 service members and injuries of hundreds more,” he said, referring to the number of U.S. military deaths tied to the Iran war. “For this, the president and vice president must be impeached, convicted and removed.”
Watson also called the administration’s immigration policies and tactics unconstitutional.
The Removal Coalition did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Watson could not be reached.
President Donald Trump responded to criticism of a financial disclosure that listed $1.4 billion in crypto earnings largely driven by meme coins.
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