Weaning homes off natural gas and other fossil fuels would significantly reduce carbon emissions. Scientists report that fossil fuels consumed in our buildings across the globe account for 28 percent of climate change, while natural gas leaks upstream from our appliances account for another 25 percent of global climate change. Fuel-burning appliances are entrenched in our homes, making the shift to electric appliances a challenge, even to homeowners so inclined.
The City of Santa Barbara is finalizing an all-electric code for new construction, joining more than 40 other cities and counties in California. Most likely, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties will consider similar code changes soon, but what can be done about existing structures, nearly all of which are not all-electric?
Redwood Energy, a California energy consulting firm, has published, within the last few weeks, a peer-reviewed report laying out detailed information on how the conversion of an existing home can be simple, relatively inexpensive, and without building modification, not even upgrading the electrical service. This report, A Pocket Guide to All-Electric Retrofits of Single-Family Homes, lays out two paths toward electrification.