Today the temperature outside my house reached 104 degrees with the prospect of five more days above 100 degrees. We have several active wildfires in our state, more in other Western states, and summer’s going to be around for awhile. I can’t imagine the misery of attacking these fires during these temperatures.
Fortunately for me and my wife, we have a heat pump system that keeps us cool and lets us keep the smoky air outside of our house. In past years, we would have the windows open all night and close them in the morning: Nature’s air conditioning system.
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That changed for us in 2021 when the smoke in the air was bad enough that it wasn’t advisable to open the windows at night, so our house got too warm. That experience encouraged me to learn about heat pumps and how to finance them through the Inflation Reduction Act (or IRA).
Heat pumps
A heat pump basically moves heat from one place to another by using electricity to power a fan and compressor. It can take heat from outdoor air (or water, or the ground) in the winter and bring it indoors, or take heat from the air in your home during summer and move it outdoors. They help heat your home and also provide air conditioning on these sweltering days.
Heat pumps are super-efficient: three to five times more efficient than most current fossil-fuel heating systems because it’s easier to move heat around than to make it by burning stuff. That means heat pumps reduce both fossil fuel emissions and my monthly energy bills.
Replace fossil-fueled space and water heating
Space and water heating are the big users of household energy in general. If we can replace fossil fueled space and water heating with electric alternatives, we can make a big dent in building emissions, which currently represent over 30% of U.S. carbon emissions.
Switching to clean energy is the best way to reduce these emissions. By upgrading our homes and buildings to electric, we’ll save money and eliminate a significant source of carbon pollution.
Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, rebates
I’ve recently become aware that many people are unfamiliar with the opportunities that the IRA offers. This program is partly intended to reduce carbon dioxide in our atmosphere by incentivizing our efforts to choose lower carbon-emitting appliances and make our homes more energy efficient.
The IRA offers tax credits, rebates, and upfront discounts and are available to homeowners and renters. Tax credits can be applied to offset the taxes you owe to the federal government next year. Upfront rebates can be immediately applied to reduce the upfront cost of electrification and efficiency home upgrades. These Household Electrification Incentives include:
- Heat pumps for heating/air conditioning, water heaters, and even clothes dryers;
- Electric induction stoves;
- Electric cars and chargers (see https://plugstar.com/);
- Home weatherization, insulation and windows;
- Rooftop solar and battery storage, and wiring and breaker box upgrades;
- Geothermal heating installation; and
- Whole home energy reduction and efficiency home retrofits
Rewiring America’s calculator and WorkMoney
Rewiring America’s calculator helps you find rebates and tax credits you can use to make your home more efficient (https://homes.rewiringamerica.org/calculator).
More information is at WorkMoney: workmoney.org/save-and-earn/home-upgrades/electric/electrify-your-home-lower-energy-costs.
No flames, no fumes, no fuss
It’s past time to move away from polluting energy sources, especially as we have the innovation and solutions to clean up our air and slow the global warming. We can all electrify our homes and have no flames, no fumes, and no fuss, making our homes a safe haven.
Stay safe and cool this summer!
Michael Flanagan is a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which advocates for equitable electrification and efficiency policies locally and in Congress. See citizensclimatelobby.org/.
