Electrifying your home is an important, rewarding process and a step towards a secure future. Here are some resources to read through for advice, tips, and recommendations.

• Residential methane (aka gas) appliances make up nearly 32% of city-wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• Studies show that we need 14 million more electric appliances nationwide to achieve net-zero emissions

• Rising atmospheric concentrations of methane and CO2 affect our environment

• From the Los Altos Climate Action and Adaption Plan : "Los Altos will experience increased heat waves, floods, drought, and poor air quality from regional events... and...impacts of climate change"

Heat Pump Space Heating

• More efficient, which means you can save money on your energy bills.

• Quieter, which can make your home more comfortable.

• Longer lifespan, so you won't have to replace them as often.

• Better for the environment, as they produce no emissions.

• A heat pump system can multitask: heating, cooling, dehumidifying, and filtering the air.

  • This is your chance to get A/C if you haven’t already!

Heat Pump Water Heating

• Over 3x efficient

  • For every 1 unit of electric energy input, a heat pump produces 3 to 4 units of energy output. So a heat pump can transfer 300-400% more energy than it consumes. Most methane gas-powered furnaces are 80% efficient, with those above 90% considered high efficiency.

• Safer—zero risk of gas leaks

• Consider replacing it if your current heater is over 6 years old

• Especially consider replacement if you are currently using a gas tank less heater, which leaks twice as much methane as gas tank models do.

Induction Stoves

• Gas stoves carry several health risks: poor indoor air quality with particles/carcinogens

• Fans provided with gas stoves do not properly ventilate

• Most of your pans should still be usable if they’re cast iron

• Induction stoves:

  • heat faster than electric and gas counterparts

  • offer more precise temperature control

  • reduce the risks of burns since only the pan, not the cooktop heats up.

All-in-one Washer/Dryer

• These can treat laundry gentler, prolonging life and maintaining quality of clothes

• Is quieter and requires less space, maintenance

• Ventless system, which is leads to lower construction costs and electricity bills

Lower priority, but still valuable modifications:

• Fireplaces

• Electric garden tools

• Solar panels

  • SVCE supplies us with clean energy so solar panel installation is not required for electrification. It can, however, drive down operating costs over time, put less strain on the grid, and provide you with onsite battery backup.

What if my gas appliances are new and I don’t want to replace them?

Consider that embarking onto the electrification journey now will be taking advantage of peak rebate season and would lessen emissions immediately.

Try small swaps, like purchasing a stand-alone induction hot-plate for your kitchen to reduce some of your gas use and indoor pollution. Models are available for under $100. There are also hacks to make installation cheap.

As a renter, what can I do?

• Approach your landlord with these electrification suggestions. Make sure to highlight that electrification makes buildings more attractive to future renters

• Check out these suggestions: https://www.energy.gov/save/renters

What if electrifying seems too inconvenient for my home?

Arrange for an energy audit and work closely with professionals to find workarounds unique to your home. Consult our case studies for some examples.

How do heat pumps work?

• Simply put: they use electricity to move heat around and use refrigerant to store and release heat in the cycle. Here is a breakdown by MIT Technology Review.

Ok, so they need refrigerant. What kind do they use?

• Some units use naturally occurring CO2 refrigerants, which provide the lowest global warming potential (GWP). Others use synthetic hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, such as R410A or R134A. Here is a more in-depth overview addressing safety concerns. The EPA recently mandated that US manufacturers and importers reduce HFC use by 85% in the next 15 years, a move supported by virtually all US manufacturers. Climate-friendly alternatives to HFCs are increasingly available for most uses: natural or non fluorinated substances with low GWPs, and fluorinated substances with low to mid-range GWPs.

• For any appliance that uses refrigerants, check regularly for leakage.

Won’t this further strain the grid?

• Planned and existing distributed and grid-level storage will be able to take excess energy and use it to manage the energy needs for the hours of transition in load.

• California itself has worked to meet this demand, increasing utility scale battery storage ten-fold in the last two years. This is how the state avoided major blackouts in the heatwave of Sept. 2022–the most severe ever recorded. That storage capacity is set to double again in the next few years.

• The state has also planned for an additional 20 Gw of offshore wind capacity.

What if there’s an outage?

• Install solar panels with a solar battery backup. The best solution for cases of power failure is an all electric home with onsite battery backup. That allows the home to operate without interruption. In the future companies are exploring the potential to use the batteries in your electric vehicle as an electricity source for your home in times of peak usage or outages.

  • It would also be possible to procure a solar-powered generator to keep critical appliances running during a power outage.

  • AVOID petroleum-powered generators due to fire risks and dangers from carbon monoxide poisoning in enclosed spaces.

Does electrification mean that I need to upgrade my electrical panel?

Not necessarily: upgrading your panel can be a costly disturbance. The majority of all electric homes should be able to run off a 200-amp service or less. It’s important to choose power efficient electric appliances and utilizing power sharing devices that monitor circuit usage and control the power delivered to shared devices. This may help you avoid upgrading the utility service line or your circuit breaker panel. More details are provided in the Watt Diet Calculator

Aside from electrification, how can I conserve energy?

• PGE demand-response programs connect you with third party programs that allow customers to save or earn money by adjusting energy usage.

  • An example would be Ohm Connect

• Put in a smart thermostat, an inexpensive solution that can save you money on your energy bills.

• Make your ceiling/attic more energy efficient, using insulation to keep heat in during the winter, and attic fans to pull heat out during the summer.

• Lower your energy bills and improve your air quality by repairing leaky air ducts.

• If you have an EV, charge it during the middle of the day, when solar power is most abundant and sometimes over abundant. Your EV battery can store this “surplus” electricity, which would otherwise go to waste.

• The US Department of Energy’s Home Energy Saver tool can also help you make a plan to improve your home’s building envelope.

• Switch to LED bulbs, especially for the most commonly used bulbs.

• Install outdoor shades or awnings, which can reduce solar heat gain by up to 65 percent on south-facing windows and 77 percent on west-facing windows

• Plant a tree or shrubs to the west of your home to help keep it cooler.

• You can get up to a 30% tax credit off a home energy audit via IRS Form 5695

• SVCE’s FutureFitHomes allows you to receive up to 8,000 (up to 13000 if low-income qualifying)

  • this is a program applying only to heat pump appliances

• For more granular rebates based on individual products, see Golden State Rebates by PG&E

• Rewiring America has resources dedicated to finding rebates funded by the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act)

• BayREN provides Bay Area specific rebates and a free consultation with a Home Energy Advisor

• Stack stack stack! Take advantage of all the rebates available now and apply several at the same time to shave down the price of electrification

Key takeaways from Redwood Energy's comprehensive guide to appliances:

• When it comes to deciding between ductless and ducted space heating systems, split ductless heating can be more easily installed, provide advanced filtration, and is significantly cheaper

• all in-one washer/dryers are the simplest upgrade, specifically 120v condenser washer/dryers, as they can be plugged into any 120v outlet

• Get a heat pump water heater instead of a gas/electric tankless model, which can emit nearly twice as much gas as a normal gas tank model

• 120v heat pump water heaters are a new, extra-convenient option

  • If you don’t currently have electrical resistance water heating (which requires a 240v outlet), this would be much more accessible than a 240v model

• Try local lending programs for induction stoves to see if your pans work! If they are cast-iron, they will most likely be fine.