Last April, the California Heat Pump Partnership held its inaugural Heat Pump Week, a statewide campaign that brought together contractors, manufacturers, utilities, policymakers and homeowners for a series of educational seminars for the public and training events for professional installers on heat pumps.

Heat Pump Week comprised more than 115 events, ranging from hands-on demonstrations and community outreach to engage professional installers and consumers, alike.

For contractors, platforms such as The Switch Is On and the Contractor Hub  provide training and qualified leads in this electrified market.

“The response to this first-ever Heat Pump Week exceeded our expectations in every way,” says Panama Bartholomy, the director of the California Heat Pump Partnership, as well as the founder and executive director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition.

Bartholomy frames Heat Pump Week not as just a one-off awareness campaign, but as a model for market transformation to align consumer demand with contractor readiness.

With heat pumps now outselling gas furnaces nationally, the industry is approaching what Bartholomy describes as a “tipping point.” As Bartholomy notes, “contractors will decide if that vision becomes a reality because they are the ones who actually put heat pumps in homes.”

In the following interview, Bartholomy outlines how Heat Pump Week, combined with workforce development and policy alignment, are reshaping the competitive landscape for HVAC professionals both in California and other states.

PHCPPros: The California Heat Pump Partnership just held a number of coordinated events during Heat Pump Week. Can you give us a rundown on these and what you think was particularly helpful to attendees?

Bartholomy: The California Heat Pump Partnership just wrapped up its first-ever Heat Pump Week from April 11–19. The campaign was formally recognized by the California Senate under a resolution authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, which shows just how seriously the state is taking its push to get to 6 million heat pumps installed by 2030.

Heat Pump Week resulted in over 115 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events statewide to help build awareness of highly efficient heat pumps and rapidly accelerate adoption across California, including contractor trainings, block parties, community open houses, heat pump demonstrations, and three flagship events in San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. This campaign was a unique opportunity for heat pump enthusiasts across the state to connect with local contractors and installers, explore all-electric appliances, discover incentives and rebates, and hear from community members who have made the switch.

PHCPPros: The Heat Pump Week campaign also leveraged The Switch Is On platform and its Pro Network. How does that translate into qualified leads for contractors?

Bartholomy: The Switch Is On (https://tinyurl.com/4wvd2d7m) is a statewide electrification marketing campaign that draws in 300,000 visitors annually and has already enrolled more than 2,500 contractors and generated 20,000 leads.

Contractors may enroll in the platform’s Pro Network (https://tinyurl.com/3zhby2xc), which connects contractors with homeowners ready to start electrification projects, such as heat pump installations, and offers access to free leads, trainings, incentive information, and resources to grow their businesses in the clean energy market. Each business profile is manually verified with program badges, project galleries, and license checks to make it easy for contractors to connect with homeowners.

PHCPPros: Workforce development was also a major theme of the week. Can you tell us more about the Contractor Hub launched in March?

Bartholomy: Demand for heat pumps is growing, and California’s clean energy workforce must be ready to scale. That’s why the BDC launched an upgraded Contractor Hub (https://buildingdecarb.org/contractor-hub) ahead of Heat Pump Week. This is a free, easy-to-use dashboard that helps save California’s heat pump professionals time and money with features and information that simplify the customer experience, including manually verified contractor profiles and a directory of incentives offered to contractors by manufacturers and distributors. The Hub also gives contractors access to free, high-intent leads with simple tools to accept, decline, track and close jobs faster.

PHCPPros: Are there any plans to extend this type of partnership to other states?

Bartholomy: CAHPP was founded to reinforce the existing momentum in California’s all-electric building landscape, including its 6 million heat pumps by 2030 goal, the 2025 Energy Code encouraging heat pumps for space and water heating, and a robust manufacturer and utility market.

Certainly, the goal is for CAHPP to serve as a model for what coordinated, statewide heat pump activation can look like, and the response to this first-ever Heat Pump Week exceeded our expectations in every way. We’re proud of what the partnership built together, and we hope it inspires similar efforts across the country. We are talking with other states about the model to gauge if there is interest in adopting it there.

PHCPPros: You also founded the Building Decarbonization Coalition in 2018. What changes have you seen take place in the building decarbonization space and the HVAC market since then?

Bartholomy: The building decarbonization movement has reached a tipping point. Heat pumps have now outsold gas furnaces for four consecutive years nationwide, and we’re seeing record levels of consumer confidence, with 9 out of 10 heat pump owners (https://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/press-releases/heat-pumps-homeowners-index-2024) reporting they would recommend a heat pump to others. Meanwhile, in 2025 gas bills rose 60% faster (https://buildingdecarb.org/momentum-q1-2026) than electric bills and four times faster than the rate of inflation, and state legislatures introduced 130 building decarbonization bills across 27 states in 2025 alone. Heat pumps are increasingly going to be a critical affordability solution, so we see a bright future for the technology.

PHCPPros: How will new state building decarbonization policies, such as Line Extension Allowance reforms in New York and Maryland, affect HVAC contractors?

Bartholomy: State building decarbonization policies like line extension allowances, which eliminate subsidies that incentivize new gas hookups, effectively redirect demand toward electric alternatives, which means more heat pump installations and business opportunities for contractors. Reforms like this are already taking place in states like New York and Maryland, and contractors who have already invested in heat pump training and certifications are better positioned to capture that growing demand. 

In the two years after California ended gas line extension allowances, the new construction market shifted significantly toward all-electric construction in all three major investor-owned utilities in California. These policy shifts are sending a very clear market signal: the future is electric, and contractors who prepare their businesses now will be ahead of the curve as this transition accelerates. 

PHCPPros: How can heat pump permitting be reformed by updating regulations and passing laws such as SB 222 in California?

Bartholomy: Currently, heat pump permitting varies across jurisdictions, which often carry local requirements that make installations slow, expensive, complex or all three. This can cause difficulty for contractors who have to navigate different permit types, fees or wait times for inspection. Standardizing heat pump permitting requirements across the state can make the installation process faster, easier, more affordable and accessible, while also supporting our climate and clean energy goals.

PHCPPros: What does the BDC hope to achieve over the next five years, and what role do HVAC contractors have to play in helping the organization realize these achievements?

Bartholomy: Over the next five years, BDC’s goal is to continue accelerating the adoption of heat pumps and home electrification, because they are a proven solution for public health and safety, home comfort, and long-term energy security and affordability. This means continuing to drive policy that removes barriers to electrification, expanding workforce development, and ensuring access for all communities in the clean energy transition.

HVAC contractors will decide if that vision becomes a reality because they are the ones who actually put heat pumps in homes. Their expertise, relationships and trust with customers, and ability to demystify this technology for homeowners are irreplaceable. The more contractors that are equipped with training, leads, and resources, the faster and more smoothly we can scale adoption.