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State’s climate decision: Abandon gas furnaces and embrace heat pumps?

PHOTO: Mandating electric heat pumps in new home construction would help the state meet its carbon goals, but the added cost could price out homebuyers. (NW Newsradio)

For the next 10 days, the state Building Code Council is taking comment on whether all new single-family homes should be built with efficient electric powered heat pumps instead of natural gas furnaces. Proponents say the climate and health benefits are clear, but the state building industry says the added cost of a heat pump could for many put home ownership even further out of reach. Click play to hear Corwin Haeck’s report.

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