Families from highly contaminated neighborhoods receive gas-free home electric systems

At the end of 2025,  the Lopez family received a free new heat pump mini-split, a highly efficient heating and cooling electric system not powered by natural gas, as part of the program “Healthy Homes for Wilmington.” 

The Lopezes have lived in Wilmington for more than 40 years. They have experienced first-hand the poor air quality and contamination due to high industrial pollution. Their house is next to a container truck yard and near a refinery and the railroad tracks. 

Samuel Lopez, head of the family, said they have tried unsuccessfully for years to fight against these pollutants. He was diagnosed with cancer years back and pointed to at least eight immediate neighbors who have cancer or have died due to cancer. 

“It’s because the majority of us are long-time residents of this area,” he said. “The air quality here is so bad.” 

One day, while visiting his local senior center in Wilmington, Samuel saw someone providing information on free heat pump mini-splits, heat pump water heaters, and EV chargers.

“I asked her if there was any cost to the installation and she said ‘no,’ that I just had to apply to the program,” he said. 

He did, and a few months later, a team was installing the mini split in his living room. 

Carmen Lopez, Samuel’s wife, said the process from application to installation was about five months or less. 

“This helps even with the cooler system because now we don’t need to open the windows anymore when it is hot, because when we opened the windows, the dust and contamination would get inside the house,” said Samuel.

The couple was grateful for this option because they had recently obtained a quote for a heater/ac system and they said it was extremely expensive. Depending on the house, a central heater/AC installation could start at $5,000 and go up by thousands of dollars.

Better air quality at home

The program was developed by the Green Homes California initiative, which aims for greening single-family and multifamily housing in communities on the frontlines of climate change. The Green Homes California initiative was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council California (USGBC California), which works and connects with building owners, managers, and residents to install clean technologies to pave a path toward the decarbonization of multifamily and single-family housing. 

This time, the Healthy Homes program targeted Wilmington and San Pedro due to their close proximity to the port of Los Angeles, with thousands of diesel cargo trucks traveling daily, container yards, train tracks, and oil refineries. 

Valentina Mejia, outreach coordinator with USGBC California, said in a two and a half  year period, the program installed 16 mini splits, 15 water heaters and four EV stations.

“I say about 95% of the residents that we worked with are Latinos,” said Mejia. 

She said when she talks to residents of the area she tells them they are aware that the zone is of high-contamination and while homeowners can’t do much outside, they can take charge of what’s inside home, like clean air. 

“We won’t remove the refineries because we are not capable to do so, but at least with the minisplit now they have a better and healthier environment,” said Mejia.

Beware of scams

While it is common to receive constant visits from potential contractors and other services, Mejia said it is always important to make sure the service comes from a reputable source, like the government or a nonprofit organization. 

“We have a special map where we target the areas with high-contamination problems,” said Mejia. 

Carmen said when they were offered the minisplit, her daughters were the ones who reviewed the documentation and after confirming it was legit, they accepted it.

Samuel said they felt more comfortable because many of the homes in the area are either long-time residents or generational and having trustworthy people like Mejia helped them get many questions and concerns answered. 

The program was done in partnership with the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation and LADWP. While the funding is over for this season, USGBC California said it is working diligently to obtain more to serve more people. 

To learn more about the work and services offered, visit https://usgbc-ca.org/programs/green-homes/