Steps To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Opting for Electricity over Fossil Fuels
The term “electrification of homes” is popping up more frequently in the design-build sector. It’s part of a movement to lower our use of fossil fuels that yield greenhouse gasses (GHG or carbon emissions) and contribute significantly to climate change.
As shown in the example of Monterey Bay Community Power (now Central Coast Community Energy)—the locally owned power generation company serving Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties—electricity can be produced through renewable sources like the sun, wind and water (note: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties are now included). The more we turn to these renewables, the more we reduce our dependency on fossil fuels like natural gas, oil and coal. Not only is the supply of fossil fuels finite, extracting and burning them to generate power are major sources of environmental pollution.
A June article published on greentechmedia.com explores the example being set by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). In a nutshell, not only is more than 50 percent of their power-generation mix carbon-free, the agency is offering rebates to incentivize homeowners to adopt electrification as standard in both new construction and retrofits.
And research shows that there is a resultant annual savings in energy costs for consumers. The good news just keeps coming. This progress on SMUD’s way to reducing GHG to 90 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, is just a sample of what can and is being done in communities throughout California. According to Owen Howlett, project manager of energy strategy research and development at SMUD, “Electrification provides a magnitude of GHG reduction that cannot be matched by energy efficiency measures.”
You’ve heard this from us before…as a design-build firm, we view each home we build and the environment as living space. We have the knowledge—and are continuing to gain more—to build homes that have healthy indoor air quality, are durable and comfortable, require significantly less energy, rely on renewable resources, and produce far fewer carbon emissions that worsen the real problem of climate change.
Ever-advancing technologies that are becoming more mainstream and cost-effective are aiding our efforts. Opting for heat-pumps for water and space heating, and induction stovetops and electric ovens for cooking, means we can lower our negative impact on the environment without sacrificing comfort and convenience.
We’ll explore the specific technologies in future blogs. In the meantime, click here to check out the full article about SMUD. If you have questions, send an email to info@carmelbuilding.com.
