To avoid the huge losses and damage caused by global warming, countries must act quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.The good news is that experts believe it is possible to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through measures such as using energy more efficiently, slowing deforestation and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy.
Many of these strategies require new laws, regulations or funding to move forward at the speed and scale required.But an increasingly viable strategy for many consumers is to power their homes and devices with clean energy.These four articles in our archive explain why electrifying the home is an important climate strategy and how consumers can get started.
As of 2020, household energy use accounts for about one-sixth of total U.S. energy consumption.Nearly half (47%) of energy comes from electricity, followed by natural gas (42%), oil (8%) and renewables (7%).By far the largest home energy use is heating and air conditioning, followed by lighting, refrigerators and other appliances.
Read more: How electric vehicles and other transportation innovations are slowing global warming, according to IPCC
The most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from household energy consumption is to replace oil and gas with electricity from low and zero carbon sources.The electricity industry is rapidly moving in this direction: As a 2021 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows, electricity producers have cut their carbon emissions by 50 percent from what energy experts predicted in 2005.
“The decline is due to policy, market and technology drivers,” concluded the Lawrence Berkeley Lab team of analysts. Wind and solar have scaled and lowered costs, so utilities are using more.Cheaper natural gas has replaced dirtier coal for power generation.Public policy encourages the use of energy-efficient technologies such as LED light bulbs.These converging trends make electricity an increasingly climate-friendly energy option.
The United States uses far more low-carbon and carbon-free electricity today than was projected in 2005.Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CC BY-ND
Since heating and cooling use so much energy, switching from an oil- or gas-powered furnace to a heat pump can drastically reduce a home’s carbon footprint.As University of Dayton sustainability expert Robert Brecha explains, heat pumps work by moving heat in and out of buildings, not by burning fossil fuels.
“Extremely cold liquid circulates through the coils of the heat pump outdoor unit,” Brecha wrote.”This fluid absorbs energy in the form of heat from the surrounding air, which is hotter than the fluid. The fluid evaporates and then circulates into the compressor. Compressing any gas heats it, so the process generates heat. The steam then passes through the heat pump chamber. The coiled pipes in the unit move, heating the building.”
In summer, the process reverses: a heat pump takes energy from inside and transfers heat outside, just as a refrigerator removes heat from the room where food is stored and expels it into the air of the room it’s in.
Another option is a geothermal heat pump, which collects heat from the earth and transfers it into a building using the same process as an air source heat pump.These systems are more expensive because installing them involves digging to bury the pipes in the ground, but they also reduce electricity usage.
For those who love to cook, the biggest sticking point in using electricity is the prospect of using an electric stove.Many home cooks believe that gas flames are more sensitive and precise than electric burners.
But magnetic induction, which cooks food by creating a magnetic field under the pot, completely eliminates the need to ignite the burner.
“Unlike traditional burners, the cooking point on an induction cooktop, called a hob, consists of coils embedded in the surface of the cooktop,” wrote Binghamton University electrical engineering professor Kenneth McLeod.
Moving an electric charge through these wires creates a magnetic field, which creates an electric field at the bottom of the cooker.”Due to resistance, the pan will get hot, even though the hob won’t,” explains MacLeod.
Induction cooktops heat and cool very quickly and offer highly accurate temperature control.They’re also easy to clean because they’re made of glass, and are safer than electric stoves because the hob doesn’t stay hot when the pan is removed from the hob.Many utility companies offer rebates to cover the higher cost of induction cooktops.
Electrical systems such as home heating and cooking make residents more vulnerable to power outages.Soon, however, a new backup system will be available: powering your home with an electric vehicle.
Automakers are introducing many new electric vehicle models and designs as interest in electric vehicles and light trucks grows in the United States.Some of these new rides will offer two-way charging – the ability to charge a car battery at home, then transfer the power back to the house and eventually into the grid.
Only a few models now offer this capacity, and it requires special equipment that could add thousands of dollars to the price of an EV.But Penn State energy expert Seth Brussack sees value in the emerging technology.
“Allowing homeowners to use their vehicles as backup in the event of a power outage will reduce the social impact of a massive outage. It will also give utilities more time to restore service – especially if poles and lines are severely damaged, “Blumsack explained.”Bidirectional charging is also an integral part of the broader vision for the next-generation grid, where millions of electric vehicles continuously draw power from the grid and give it back – a key element of an electrified future.”
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.Read the original text.
Left: Many utilities offer rebates to cover the higher cost of induction cooktops, which have less of an environmental impact than gas cooktops.Photo via Getty Images.
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