The Switch Is On is a collaborative statewide campaign to support home electrification by providing tools, support, and resources to Washington residents.
Who We Are
The Switch Is On initiative was launched in 2019 by the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) to educate, inspire, and make switching to electric appliances easier for communities, contractors, and all those who live and work in buildings.
Education: Over 2 million people have visited our website to learn about how heat pumps and electric appliances work, and how electric options save money and improve health and safety while reducing negative climate impacts.
Inspiration: Our blog and newsletter highlight the many personal stories and experiences people are sharing about their journey to zero-emission homes. Switch Is On works with hundreds of volunteers, community-based organizations, local governments, and businesses to spread the word and inspire action on home decarbonization.
Switching: Our Incentive Finder is the most comprehensive, including current federal, state, regional, and local incentives all in one place; updated weekly. Our Contractor Finder lists vetted contractors trained to install electric appliances and systems.
Our Partners
BDC is continuously evolving and strengthening our coalition of partners to grow favorable awareness of electrification, and to engage those with all levels of interest in building decarbonization so our work is transformative beyond early adopters. We work with community-based organizations, local governments, manufacturers, retailers, chefs, community leaders, utilities, realtors, installers, and contractors.
Invested Partnerships
King County
King County’s Climate Office is committed to taking bold action on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preparing for climate change impacts, and supporting resilience in communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan outlines the county’s priorities and commitments for climate action, including how climate change is integrated into county operations and how the county works with local cities, partners, communities, and residents. Twenty-three cities within King County have formed K4C – the King County Cities Climate Collaboration – to work together to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions by sustainably increasing mobility, investing in renewable energy, promoting clean energy use in buildings and vehicles, and expanding farm and forest protection.
City of Seattle
The City of Seattle is committed to equitable climate action for a more just and livable future. The Office of Sustainability & Environment partners with the community to create strategies to help achieve shared environmental goals and coordinates among City departments, the Mayor’s Office, and the City Council to ensure the successful implementation of these strategies including advancing racial, social, and environmental justice throughout Seattle’s environmental work. In leading the way to a sustainable and carbon-neutral Seattle, efforts focus on three areas: Meeting the Climate Challenge, Championing environmental Equity, and Growing Sustainable Communities.
Pierce County
Pierce County Planning & Public Works Department’s Sustainable Resources Division supports a vibrant community and environment by promoting sustainability efforts in both County government operations and throughout the larger community. Pierce County’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan – Sustainability 2030 – calls for a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2015 levels by 2030 and lays out community-wide actions across several sectors to achieve this goal while also improving air and water quality, economic opportunity, and community health.
City of Tacoma
Tacoma’s Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability works to develop, promote, and implement sustainable practices through education, community partnerships, and performance management. The 2030 Tacoma Climate Action Plan describes a pathway for the city to reach its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Thurston County
Thurston County collaborates with the cities of Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey to implement the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan – a regional framework for reducing locally generated greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, relative to a 2015 baseline. The Office of County Commissioners’ Climate Mitigation Program coordinates across county departments to advance activities across the Plan’s five sectors: Buildings and Energy, Transportation and Land Use, Water and Waste, Agriculture and Forests, and Cross-cutting. Current focus areas include forest protection, habitat conservation, solar energy, electric vehicles, and residential electrification.
City of Olympia
The City of Olympia is part of a regional, government-wide partnership focused on climate change. In collaboration with Thurston County and the cities of Tumwater and Lacey, the City of Olympia and its partners developed the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan – a regional framework for reducing locally generated greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, relative to a 2015 baseline. In support of reducing climate impacts, the City of Olympia has multiple programs, partnerships, and plans in place – Energize Olympia for the group purchase of ductless heat pumps, a sea level response plan, and a streamlined permitting process for residents installing solar.
Community Partners
Shift Zero
Shift Zero is an alliance of sustainability organizations with a mission to catalyze a just transition to zero-carbon buildings for all in Washington State. The alliance advocates for policies and programs that maximize energy efficiency and eliminate building emissions. Shift Zero convenes its members’ technical, policy, and advocacy expertise to identify scalable solutions to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. Collectively, the alliance members educate decision-makers about how proven design approaches and building technologies can be leveraged to create affordable access to high-performance, resilient buildings.
Climate Solutions
Climate Solutions is a clean-energy economy nonprofit with a mission to accelerate clean energy solutions to the climate crisis. The nonprofit champions transformational policies and market-based innovations catalyzes powerful partnerships and a diverse movement for action and accountability, and communicates a bold vision for scalable solutions based on climate science. Climate Solutions primarily works with state legislatures, utility commissions, regulatory agencies, and major counties and cities to drive public policy changes, and sometimes works directly with voters on initiatives. Its diverse and broad group of allies includes communities of color, labor unions, businesses, and environmental, faith, and public health organizations.
