>New homes in Washington State are going to save money up front due to rebates and tax credits and they will also save money in the long run, as heat pumps reduce electricity consumption by up to 50%. Emissions will be cut as well.

This is from the article and it's a little disingenuous. Yes, heat pumps reduce electricity consumption compared to resistive heating which almost nobody in my corner of washington is using. People here use natural gas which is historically pretty cheap even compared to relatively cheap electric rates for heating purposes.

If your goal is to reduce emissions, great. But eventually these tax credits will expire and this will directly translate into people paying more for heating. In the part of the state that influences elections and policy that's not a big deal, but the eastern and central parts of the state get awfully cold from time to time comparatively. Let's not rush to pat ourselves on the back just yet and let's not pretend this policy doesn't have a real human cost.