Fighting Climate Change One House at a TIme: A Beginners Guide
Magi Amma, TCA
In order to meet California’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, we must push to electrify everything. Choosing electrification allows us to ensure that our energy use is always getting cleaner along with the grid as California pursues its goal of 100% clean energy by 2045.
There are many ways to electrify home appliances, including heat pump water heaters, heat pump heating and cooling, induction cooking ranges, induction cooktops, solar panels, and home battery storage. Every home has different needs, and navigating the morass of information on appliances and incentives can be daunting. Let’s take a look at these options.
When developing a plan, consider these factors:
Health and comfort
The air quality produced by a gas cooking stove may be an issue for you. Upgrading to an induction stove is expensive, though, but there are cheap interim solutions. You can buy a portable induction cooktop for as little as $50, and it’s a good way to begin using induction in your kitchen.
Burning natural gas inside the house produces harmful gasses, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (a carcinogen), and formaldehyde, not to mention fine particulate matter (basically smoke). Even when the stove is turned off, it can release methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG). Gas stoves account for 13% of cases of childhood asthma in the US. Gas stoves also increase the risk of respiratory illnesses by 20%, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even dementia.
Cost savings
A portable induction cooktop is the cheapest and easiest way to begin. Consider buying a one- or two-burner portable induction cooktop, or try one for a two-week free trial from the PG&E Induction Cooktop Loaner Program.
The overall most economical investment is a heat pump water heater (HPWH), because of the generous rebates available. HPWHs are 3 to 5 times more efficient than gas water heaters.
HPWHs are so efficient because they simply move heat from one place to another rather than generating heat by burning fuel. There is no gas bill and the electric bill increase is minimal. You can expect heat pump water heaters to use about 65% less electricity than electric water heaters and can reach up to 300% to 400% efficiency. (see: MIT Technology Review). They are ideal to put in an attached garage because they draw heat from the surrounding environment. It is important not to wait to replace your current water heater until it fails, because it will take time to purchase and install a new HPWH and credits may not be available. The typical lifespan of a gas water heater is about 10 years and 14 years for a HPWH.
Environmental considerations
The two household appliances that generate the most GHG emissions are the gas water heater and the gas furnace. Both leak methane, a powerful GHG that, for the first 20 years after release is around 80 times more powerful as CO2 at trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere.
Electrical issues
First, one must understand what is available to you as a homeowner. Then you need to understand what changes might be necessary. Do you need to upgrade your electrical service within your house in order to support your plans? Does the service panel have enough capacity? Will the existing wiring provide enough capacity? What additional space is available in the panel?
Ninety percent of all projects do not need an upgrade to the electric panel. Most older houses have 100 amp service, and most newer ones have 200 amp service. For most modest-sized homes 100 amps is more than sufficient if you manage your power usage. See: How to Electrify a Residence without a Panel Upgrade.
One way to avoid electrical panel and service upgrades is to use circuit-sharing plugs which allow two appliances to share a circuit but not allow both of them to be turned on at the same time.
Doing electrification in steps
Make an overall plan for your electrification. To understand your physical layout, first make a simple line drawing with the location and sizing specs of all the appliances you will eventually want. Then add the circuit sizes and amperage sizes for these appliances. See Tom Kabat: Electrification Planning to Save Money & Time, The Electric Home Tour and Benefits for an All-Electric Lifestyle.
See what changes you can afford to make now. Plan ahead for big ticket items, such as the induction range and the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. If you have an air conditioner and furnace, look into an HVAC heat pump as a replacement as it will be 3 to 4 times more efficient.
Resources
There are a number of websites that offer rebates and advice. You or your contractor must apply for rebates before the work begins and the work must be completed within a given time. Be aware that rebate
offers and eligibility are subject to change.
Start here:
The Switch Is On provides state and federal rebate information as well as some local rebates. Find rebates by zip code. This site is very comprehensive.
California Energy-Smart Homes is a residential new construction and alterations program that provides incentives to adopt advanced energy measures and transition to all-electric construction. It is available for utility customers in the PG&E, SDG&E, and SCE electric territories.
Rebate sites for supplementary research:
Energy Star is the federal government-backed program for rebates.
Rewiring America is a guide to replacing all of your fossil-fueled appliances with updated electric ones.
Clean Energy Connection provides a list of clean-energy contractors and links to rebates.
Central Coast Community Energy sources clean and renewable electricity at competitive prices for customers throughout Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara counties. They have a list of local rebates available.
California Energy Commission provides links to the Inflation Reduction Act Residential Energy Rebate Programs in California.
PG&E provides links to home energy rebates.
Weatherization Assistance Program reduces energy costs for low-income households.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides federally funded assistance to reduce the costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and minor energy-related home repairs.