Redeemer Community Partnership

Overview

Redeemer Community Partnership (RCP) will launch the Heat Pump Water Heater Fast Track Program to help residents in the Exposition Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles move from the interest phase to the installation phase. Working alongside the Los Angelas Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Consumer Rebate Program, RCP will provide the financial, logistical, and educational support households need to complete the full heat pump water heater installation process, especially when structural upgrades and upfront costs would otherwise put participation out of reach for income-qualified residents.

This project builds on RCP’s broader “Power Up South LA” neighborhood electrification work with the USCLA Luskin Center for Innovation by pairing direct assistance with visible, community-based learning. Through workshops hosted in a fully electrified home, residents will able to see the technology in use, ask practical questions, and better understand what adoption looks like in a setting that feels familiar and achievable. In doing so, the program aims not just to support individual installations, but to build local confidence and encourage wider adoption through trusted, peer-to-peer connection.

Research Questions:

• What technical, financial, and administrative factors most often prevent low-income households from completing heat pump water heater installations, even when rebates are available?
• Which forms of support provided through the Fast Track Program most effectively reduce perceived risk and help households move from interest to informed decision-making?
• What patterns emerge across participating households in terms of upgrade needs, costs, timelines, and decision points, and how can those patterns inform future efforts to reduce friction in similar neighborhoods?

Market Barrier

LADWP is expanding its consumer rebate program for heat pump water heaters, but the majority of Exposition Park households are unable to participate due to the significant costs of home upgrades needed for installation. Given the retroactive nature of rebates, customers may be hesitant or unable to proceed with heat pump water heater projects. Additionally, most Exposition Park/South Los Angeles households are unaware of what upgrades will be required to make their homes ready for heat pump water heater installation — and unable to afford the upgrades regardless.

Proposed Solution

RCP will work alongside LADWP to help households participate in this program, supporting residents through the process of a home assessment, heat pump purchase, installation and rebate application, while providing funds to bridge the gap between the rebate and the total cost of the project. In addition to technical and financial support, customers also need support in the form of trusted community members who have been through the process personally and can vouch that it is feasible and worthwhile. This project is designed to provide all these resources to reassure community members that installing heat pumps is desirable, possible, and a financially wise decision.

Throughout this work, RCP will document the installation and upgrade process and identify common administrative and/or structural barriers across the participating households. This information can then serve to inform LADWP, the City of Los Angeles, advocates, and other relevant stakeholders of what Exposition Park buildings (and other comparable buildings across the city) need to accelerate heat pump water heater adoption.

Theory of Change

By pairing financial support with hands-on guidance, the Heat Pump Water Heater Fast Track Program reduces the upfront risk that often prevents low-income households from pursuing electrification. When residents receive clear information about their home’s readiness, understand the true scope of required upgrades, and have access to gap funding that closes the difference between rebates and total cost, they are better positioned to consider installation as a realistic option rather than a financial gamble.

As households move through assessments, installations, and community workshops, the program builds familiarity and confidence by making the process visible and understandable. Not all residents will choose to proceed, but even those decisions generate important insight into the technical, financial, and personal factors that shape participation. By documenting costs, upgrade needs, decision points, and outcomes across households, the project helps clarify what it actually takes to make heat pump water heater adoption feasible in similar neighborhoods, creating a stronger foundation for future efforts to expand access.

Project Status:

In Progress

Housing Type:

Single-Family Housing

Technology:

Heat Pump Water Heaters

Location:

South Los Angeles (Exposition Park)