Information on Building Electrification
Electrifying everything — switching to electric machines for most purposes — is one of the solutions to climate change and also improves health while reducing pollution. The concept extends beyond houses and apartments, although they play a significant part.
The key to tackling climate change: electrify everything – Vox is one of the original articles about the everything concept. Written in 2016, it’s still good. This light and easy-to-read introduction is a great place to start and also a great article to send to your friends who want an introduction.
The more recent article, How Electrifying Everything Became a Key Climate Solution, from the New York Times, goes into more depth and is filled with data about the task ahead.
For owners of residential property, the basic idea is to switch to electric appliances. The five most common appliances are: heat pump water heater, heat pump space heating and cooling, induction cooktop, electric dryer or combo washer/dryer, and EV charger. Some property owners may also plan for other things, like a pool heater or an electric fireplace.
Renters have fewer options but can also have an impact, such as by cooking with a portable induction hotplate or by installing a window heat pump.
If your electrical panel is under 200 amps, you may need to do advance planning. Your options are: A) pay for an upgrade of your electrical panel and service, so you can choose from a wide selection of appliances, or B) avoid the upgrade by selecting specific models of appliances.
Rewiring America provides an electrification planner that provides ideas and estimated costs. It’a great way to get started. (Note: the national IRA incentives listed are not ready yet in our area, but better ones may be available locally)
For more depth, a good video on the topic is: Green@Home Workshop: Planning for Electrification, by Tom Kabat and Acterra.
To encourage electrification, tax credits, rebates, and financing are available.
A list of incentives may be found at The Switch Is On, searchable by zip code and project type. Often the major incentives are the ones from local power companies such as Silicon Valley Clean Energy. In many cases, incentives from multiple agencies can be combined to give a higher total rebate. Incentives change, so it’s important to see what is available at the time you are planning the project. Incentives also have requirements so read their terms and conditions.
Incentives and electrification can be complicated. Electrification Advisors from Silicon Valley Clean Energy are standing by to answer questions and help you. Contact them on their website or at (833) 243-4235.
Tax credits can be found in Rewiring America’s planner. However, note their list of incentives is incomplete, and they also list national rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act that will not be available until 2025.
As there’s an annual cap on tax credits, it may make sense to spread your projects over a few years, installing a heat pump water heater one year and a heat pump for space heating and cooling the next year.
Local governments and advocates have made water heaters the top priority for the Bay Area. Not only are they a major source of climate-warming gasses and pollution, they are also thermal energy storage devices that can help stabilize the grid. Incentives are aligned with this priority, too, so in many cases it may make sense to make it your top priority also. You can get great information from a page provided by water heater advocates.
For the basics, The Switch is On has a short and informative water heater page.
For more details, check out this informative video by Acterra, but be aware that the rebate information is out of date. Also, if you have a small electric panel, be aware that improved 120 volt water heaters have arrived on the market after the video was made. The 120 volt models can help you avoid an upgrade to your panel and electrical service.
In addition, here’s a video on some more up-to-date options: 2024 Top 7 Heat Pump Water Heaters Compared, by Matt Risinger.
Heat pumps heat and cool your house efficiently. For a good introduction, see the New York Times article A Heat Pump Might Be Right for Your Home. Here’s Everything to Know.
For a simpler introduction, see Space Heating And Cooling: Heat Pumps – Switch Is On.
The Bay Area has a mild climate, so the best advice may come from this local video by Tom Kabat and Acterra.
For a simple introduction, see The All-Electric Kitchen – Switch Is On.
More information can also be found in this video by Acterra: Green@Home Workshop: Induction Cooking.
The Switch is On has an introductory page: Clothes Dryers – Switch Is On
Acterra’s planning for electrification video, mentioned earlier, covers this topic.
For those needing to fit into a small electrical panel, large combo washer/dryers are available that plug into a 120 volt outlet, eliminating the need for 240 volt wiring.
While not really a replacement, per se, planning for EV charging should be part of planning your electrical requirements. The planning for electrification video, in the planning section, has a good discussion.
If you have a small panel, use a load-managed charger to avoid overloading it. These chargers monitor the real-time use of electricity in your home, and only draw what is available in the moment. You can also avoid oversizing the charger as this will use panel capacity that you could use for other things, if that is a concern. You need to cover your average daily drive, or average annual miles, and consider how often you want to charge. For details, see the planning for electrification video from Tom Kabat and Acterra.
Several services can answer questions about home electrification, give advice, suggest contractors, and more. Any question is fair game.
Electrification Advisors from Silicon Valley Clean Energy are available to answer questions and make suggestions. Contact them on their website or at (833) 243-4235.
In Palo Alto, contact Home Efficiency Genie – City of Palo Alto, CA.
Quit Carbon offers a free electrification planner, which can optionally be used to send job descriptions to contractors to receive project quotes. They are a commercial service that earns money from contractor referrals. They also are supported by a grant from the Department of Energy, as a way of understanding how well this pathway to home electrification works. Feel free to use Quit Carbon’s free planner even if that’s all you need. They are also well-versed in choosing appliances that will work with small electrical panels.
Here are some handouts we may have used:
Market Transformation (Wikipedia)
Gas Stove Pollution (Physicians for Social Responsibility)