Published on April 14, 2025
The cold showers at Burgess Pool on April 1 were no April Fools’ joke. The brief interruption was part of a well-coordinated effort by staff to replace old gas units with four new all-electric heat pump water heaters. These heat pump heroes join a crew of three installed at City Hall earlier this year and nine installed in 2023-24, heating water cleanly, safely and efficiently without emissions. Beginning in 2023, the City upgraded water heaters at five city-owned facilities (Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, Belle Haven Child Development Center, Menlo Children's Center, Little House Senior Center, Rosener House and the Menlo Park Library). The replacements are part of the PG&E Government and K-12 Energy Efficiency Program that installs new electric and more efficient equipment for public buildings at no cost to the public agency. The program has saved the City over $230K in installation costs and avoided an estimated 35,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from facility water heating last year. A key goal of the City of Menlo Park’s Climate Action Plan is to eliminate fossil fuel use in City operations by 2030. Replacing gas water heaters with electric heat pump water heaters has already reduced city emissions by 32%. This is largely due to the electrification of the water heaters at the Belle Haven Pool. Plans are underway to electrify the remaining water heaters in the next five years. In addition to improving community air quality, the new heat pump water heaters will enable the City to support the power grid by preheating water during storms or ahead of demand response events to continue operations during a power outage or planned shutoff. Interested in installing your own heat pump hero? Now is a great time to make the switch. There are a number of incentives available to support residents in electrifying their homes. Visit the City's electrification webpage for more information on how to switch for your home.