Worldwide, the use of fossil fuels must start declining now if we are to reach the Paris Climate Goal. That means each of us in all of our roles – homeowner, homebuyer, car owner, business owner, employee, commuter, consumer – must begin to start taking steps to reduce our use of fossil fuels.
The movement to “electrify everything” aims to replace fossil fuel applications with electrical devices that can be powered by a clean grid. With the electricity available on your grid, which comes from a mix of energy sources, will an electric heat pump or electric car produce fewer emissions than an efficient fossil fuel powered furnace or vehicle? A team did the math to find out how efficient EVs and heat pumps are on different grids in different countries. For 53 of the 59 regions analyzed—representing about 95 percent of road transportation and home heating—it’s already true that EVs or heat pumps are more efficient even with a less than perfect grid.
“Net Zero” and “Passive House” are certification labels for ultra-low energy buildings that use very little energy to heat and cool them. From the street, you wouldn’t be able to tell a net zero or passive house from any other recently built home. Even from the inside, the only visible clues are thick walls and deep window sills. Only if you looked at the utilities bill would you know.
Children exposed to gas stove pollution have an increased risk of asthma. And nearly 50 years of research shows that children, low-income households and people of color are more likely to be harmed by this pollution. The time has come to go all-electric, both for our health and the future of our planet.
Zero energy homes are where people put enough grid-connected solar panels on their roof so that over the course of the year they produce as much energy as they use. It is much easier to achieve if you reduce energy demand. That’s the key point being made in a new free ebook, Net Zero Energy Buildings: Passive house + Renewables, by Mary James.
