Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #ElectrifyEverything
Most recents (24)
I bought a new induction cooktop to replace my old, leaky gas stove. Yay! #electrifyeverything!
It has not gone well.
This is a bit of a rant. But more importantly, my story is a window into a critical lesson for those of us racing to save the planet.
1/
It has not gone well.
This is a bit of a rant. But more importantly, my story is a window into a critical lesson for those of us racing to save the planet.
1/
My new cooktop cost almost $2k – and weeks of aggravation – to get wired and installed by a licensed electrician.
Switching from gas to electric cooking is not something an average homeowner can (or should) do by themselves.
But there are no one-stop services for this.
2/
Switching from gas to electric cooking is not something an average homeowner can (or should) do by themselves.
But there are no one-stop services for this.
2/
If only that were the end of it.
The new cooktop didn’t function right – only a tiny slice of the ‘burners’ worked. Likely an internal circuit issue, so I reached out to @frigidaire for help.
(Induction stoves are cool! But they are much more complicated than gas stoves.)
3/
The new cooktop didn’t function right – only a tiny slice of the ‘burners’ worked. Likely an internal circuit issue, so I reached out to @frigidaire for help.
(Induction stoves are cool! But they are much more complicated than gas stoves.)
3/
We're in for a heat pump PR debacle right now: the cheapest heat pumps that qualify for a federal IRA incentive are HORRIBLE at dehumidification.
The only viable fix is a requirement for a dehumidification mode and probably reheat dehumidification from @ENERGYSTAR standards.
The only viable fix is a requirement for a dehumidification mode and probably reheat dehumidification from @ENERGYSTAR standards.
The curse is this will take multiple years to implement, in the meantime many thousands of people will get sick and their homes are likely to become unhealthy and moisture damaged. Both are like cancer patients - you are in remission, never cured.
The odds are high that this will create a nasty PR problem for heat pumps and set things back, not move them forwards.
As longtime #electrifyeverything advocates (we removed our first gas meter in 2014), this pains us greatly.
As longtime #electrifyeverything advocates (we removed our first gas meter in 2014), this pains us greatly.
PSA: Early adopter language about electrification is repulsive to the mainstream.
There's too much early adopter language right now, to finish by 2050 we need to be hitting mainstream #ASAP.
#electrifyeverything
There's too much early adopter language right now, to finish by 2050 we need to be hitting mainstream #ASAP.
#electrifyeverything
If you can replace what you're saying with "vegan" or "crossfit", change your language.
The hype and politicization of electrification is making me have to back away from it. That sucks.
HOMEOWNERS CARRY THE COST AND RISK OF BAD DECISIONS,
We think it's the contractors responsibility to have homeowners acknowledge assumption of risk when they make bad decisions
- a thread
We think it's the contractors responsibility to have homeowners acknowledge assumption of risk when they make bad decisions
- a thread
A big issue we've spent a lot of time thinking about is who is responsible for bad decisions?
After first principles analysis we've decided we would like that responsibility to lie with the person who MAKES the bad decision.
In our case, that's the homeowner.
After first principles analysis we've decided we would like that responsibility to lie with the person who MAKES the bad decision.
In our case, that's the homeowner.
But it's our feeling they can't be held fully responsible for bad decisions if they're not given enough information to UNDERSTAND the good or bad of the decisions they're making.
A thread on my home’s heat pump performance during the recent Colorado cold spell. There will be data and #Chartz and grid context! But the TL;DR – My system performed great! But did use lots of power. #heatpump (1/n)
Context: I gone the full #ElectrifyEverything! My 2400 sq ft townhouse has a Mitsubishi heat pump with resistance backup running in a ducted system. My @span_io electric panel monitors everything. See previous thread. (2/n)
It was cold last week, below -10°F in Boulder! So how did my system do? Most importantly, it kept my home comfortable. This chart show temperatures, set points, and power use. (3/n)
Very excited to rip out our fossil #gas furnace and replace it with a cold climate air-source #heatpump this week. New system is more affordable, efficient and comfortable and will end our household dependance on fossil fuels. Disconnect #gas #electrifyeverything #ClimateCrisis
I'll be sure to post details, photos (and eventually household energy data) through the process.
obligatory photo of trashed old #gas furnace (and water leaking from its poorly installed drain connection)
Some wonder why we don't advocate more for external wall insulation (wrapping a new wall around the outside of a house). This is why.
A 🧵
A 🧵
Our last house was a beautiful 1835 home outside Cleveland Ohio, I figured it would be $70K-100K to do external insulation on.
How much did it save? It modeled $250/year. That would be closer to $500/year now, but that's a 140-200 year payback.
That's not uncommon.
Ugh.
2
How much did it save? It modeled $250/year. That would be closer to $500/year now, but that's a 140-200 year payback.
That's not uncommon.
Ugh.
2
That house had a gas boiler with hot water radiators like most of the UK/EU.
I tested what water temperature it needed to keep the house warm on a design day (5F/-15C). It was 180F/82C. 3
I tested what water temperature it needed to keep the house warm on a design day (5F/-15C). It was 180F/82C. 3
CLIMATE CHANGE
#InflationReductionAct
It is *really* important to understand this new #FalconCurve paper.
A short thread with 3 key takeaways
#InflationReductionAct
It is *really* important to understand this new #FalconCurve paper.
A short thread with 3 key takeaways
1. Seasonally, building energy demands vary by a factor of 1.6x. Most current plans for decarbonizing buildings do not take this seasonal variation into account.
2. If all buildings convert to electricity, electricity demand will switch from peaking in the summer to peaking in the winter. To handle this demand will require a massive buildout of renewable energy and seasonal energy storage.
#ElectrifyEverything
#ElectrifyEverything
OK Folks – I promised my detailed review of my #ElectrifyEverything experience, including a review of, and electricity data from, my @span electric panel. If you are a real #ElectrifyEverything dork, this thread is for you! 1/x
Context: Last summer, I bought a Colorado Front Range townhouse, expecting to electrify it. The house is 3 levels and ~2400 sq ft. It had old appliances: ducted HVAC, A/C, gas furnace, gas hot water heater. I also replaced my ICE car with an EV. 2/x
As described in @BoulderRL, I had to find the right contractor that could do a ducted heat pump, the water heater, EV charging, and all the associated electrical work. I bought and read @energysmartwv 's guide and tried to go “full send“ on HVAC 2.0 tinyurl.com/4tsbafmv (3/x)
In addition to the very cool name (#FalconCurve), you’re *really* going to want to know what’s in our paper if you’re at all interested in:
#ClimateChange
#GreenBuildings
#ElectrifyEverything
#EnergyEfficiency
#Sustainability
#HealthyBuildings
THREAD
bu.edu/sph/news/artic…
#ClimateChange
#GreenBuildings
#ElectrifyEverything
#EnergyEfficiency
#Sustainability
#HealthyBuildings
THREAD
bu.edu/sph/news/artic…
Direct fossil fuel consumption by buildings, burned in water heaters, furnaces, and other heating sources, account for nearly 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
Switching to an electric system that powers heating through renewable energy sources, rather than coal, oil, and natural gas—the process known as building electrification or building decarbonization—is a crucial step towards achieving global net-zero climate goals.
Heat pumps are an essential climate solution. But there's very little data on how much they actually cost.
To fill some of the gap, we surveyed homeowners and analyzed publicly available data.
Here's what we learned:
🧵
#energytwitter #climatetwitter
To fill some of the gap, we surveyed homeowners and analyzed publicly available data.
Here's what we learned:
🧵
#energytwitter #climatetwitter
First, I should start with the problem that motivated this research:
Most data on the cost of heat pumps is widely inaccurate.
If you look up how much a heat pump costs on Google, you'll probably land on a page from This Old House, Angi, or HomeAdvisor.
Most data on the cost of heat pumps is widely inaccurate.
If you look up how much a heat pump costs on Google, you'll probably land on a page from This Old House, Angi, or HomeAdvisor.
Need a break from doomscrolling about the decline of American society? I wrote about the #ElectrifyEverything strategy for @citizensclimate today. My blog post on why and how to electrify, plus a thread 🧵discussing some additional nuances [1/5]:
citizensclimatelobby.org/blog/policy/ho…
citizensclimatelobby.org/blog/policy/ho…
It’s critical to decarbonize the electricity sector ASAP because marginal demand increase is often supplied by fossil fuels. One recent study found that increased marginal electricity emissions would offset >half the reductions from deploying EVs [2/5]
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…
That's because "underlying these trends is primarily a shift toward greater reliance on coal to satisfy marginal electricity use." So we need to phase out coal quickly, which a #carbonprice would accomplish, or other targeted policies like clean electricity standards [3/5]
Before journalists give time to #Murdoch #LNP #transmission hikes, ask who is driver of price hikes? @AngusTaylorMP has gazetted ‘if Industry Research and Development (Supporting Critical Transmission Infrastructure Program) Instrument 2021.’ It’s billions$$ cash splash #auspol
This scare campaign is #murdoch #LNP own goal. If they are serious then commit to #Disallow such expenditure now @renew_economy #auspol
I was recently asked,
“What are some gaps in educating people about electrification?”I have a few thoughts.
🧵
“What are some gaps in educating people about electrification?”I have a few thoughts.
🧵
1. Our current energy system is incredibly wasteful, and if we #ElectrifyEverything and run it on renewable electricity, we'll only need half the energy we use today.
Right now, half of our energy use is basically just digging carbon (in fossil fuels) out of the ground, burning them, and dumping the carbon into the atmosphere.
Story Time - Advocating apolitically for #electrifyeverything
A thread. 🧵
Pulled from the Electrify Everything group. bit.ly/ElectrifyEvery…
A thread. 🧵
Pulled from the Electrify Everything group. bit.ly/ElectrifyEvery…
I arrived in Des Moines last night for the Momentum Is Building conference.
I grabbed a cab and naturally we got to chatting. I LOVE cab drivers because they are full of so much local information. 2
I grabbed a cab and naturally we got to chatting. I LOVE cab drivers because they are full of so much local information. 2
He naturally asked what I'm here for. I told him a building science conference. He asked what BS was and I told him the physics of how a building works, which tends to end conversations but neither of us had anything better to do so we kept going. 3
Following @curious_founder’s awesome research on gas stoves, we’ve seen a significant increase in interest in induction ranges. Fun install yesterday where we got to swap out a gas range for a new, ultra-efficient, modern induction range.
A thread 🧵
#electrifyeverything
A thread 🧵
#electrifyeverything
Removing a gas cooktop and replacing it with induction on the surface requires simply removing the old unit, dropping in the new one, and capping the gas line.
Behind the scenes though, it can require a lot more - especially to get the electrical wiring right!
Thread 🧵
20 kWH of battery goes a long way.
Beyond the heat pump usage, I needed 14.4 kWH of resistance to get through a very cold night here, at design temp 10F.
This is usage from my house last night. Bosch heat pump set to 2 tons max. 5 kw backup on the air handler.
20 kWH of battery goes a long way.
Beyond the heat pump usage, I needed 14.4 kWH of resistance to get through a very cold night here, at design temp 10F.
This is usage from my house last night. Bosch heat pump set to 2 tons max. 5 kw backup on the air handler.
This is measured with an Emporia Vue energy monitor.
A heat pump uses about 1 kWH per hour per ton when running at 100% as mine has.
I’ve watched a number of client homes, 20-50 kWH is enough to load shift all of them so far to make up for resistance usage on cold days.
A heat pump uses about 1 kWH per hour per ton when running at 100% as mine has.
I’ve watched a number of client homes, 20-50 kWH is enough to load shift all of them so far to make up for resistance usage on cold days.
With batteries this size on homes, the existing grid can handle a lot of electrification with few upgrades.
Add 3-5% per year capacity expansion and concerns largely vanish.
Batteries still have a long way to go on cost curves (unlike hvac). Real focus here is needed.
Add 3-5% per year capacity expansion and concerns largely vanish.
Batteries still have a long way to go on cost curves (unlike hvac). Real focus here is needed.
Wow, ~150,000 people read this thread on gas stoves.
Thousands of people said they had no idea. Many said they'd never buy a gas stove again.
Lesson learned: People care a lot more about their health than cutting carbon or saving energy.
Thousands of people said they had no idea. Many said they'd never buy a gas stove again.
Lesson learned: People care a lot more about their health than cutting carbon or saving energy.
For those working to #electrifyeverything this is so important.
Personally, I get caught up writing for and to the #energytwitter crowd too much.
Peak load this. Carbon intensity that.
The reality is that most people don't care about this stuff.
Personally, I get caught up writing for and to the #energytwitter crowd too much.
Peak load this. Carbon intensity that.
The reality is that most people don't care about this stuff.
In home electrification, people care about:
- The health and safety of their family
- The comfort of their home
- A whole lot of other things...
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.
.
- Saving some money on their utility bill
- More things
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.
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- And then cutting their carbon footprint.
- The health and safety of their family
- The comfort of their home
- A whole lot of other things...
.
.
.
- Saving some money on their utility bill
- More things
.
.
.
- And then cutting their carbon footprint.
Folks who know me know that I am half Lebanese. Amidst the economic crisis in #Lebanon, my dad has been experiencing a fast forward, micro version of the energy transition and associated utility policy issues that I think #energytwitter would find interesting, so here's a thread!
First let's set the scene. Even before the current economic crisis, Lebanon had a shaky grid with insufficient capacity to meet demand and near-daily power outages. Lebanon relies on imported fuel for power generation and hydro plants like this one in my father's village, Kaftoun
Absent sufficient capacity, the government must resort to routine rolling outages. The persistent outages led communities in Lebanon to purchase private community generators that can serve the local area, like this one in Beirut. (Credit to @nytimes photographer @bdentonphoto)
3 years ago I started my company, Campfire Labs, and pledged 50% of the profits to climate advocacy.
Today I just sent ~$200,000 worth of grants bringing our total giving for the year to ~$300,000.
🎉🎉🎉
Here are some of the orgs we gave money to this year 🧵
Today I just sent ~$200,000 worth of grants bringing our total giving for the year to ~$300,000.
🎉🎉🎉
Here are some of the orgs we gave money to this year 🧵
.@theclimatevote for grassroots climate organizing and making effective climate action easy.
Here's a thread on why I love what they're doing:
Here's a thread on why I love what they're doing:
.@rewiringamerica for developing and lobbying for federal policy to #electrifyeverything
@GriffithSaul and the Rewiring team have brought a ton of people into the climate movement by creating a new story that is more motivating than the old sacrifice narrative.
@GriffithSaul and the Rewiring team have brought a ton of people into the climate movement by creating a new story that is more motivating than the old sacrifice narrative.
First experiences with induction are really important.
Here's a recent review of our Ohio house, note their experience.
Here's a recent review of our Ohio house, note their experience.
What if there were thousands of homes like this? How fast could #electrifyeverything spread? @Airbnb could help a lot with a new class: bit.ly/AirBnbElectrify
While part of me hates that we are taking 2 housing units off the market in WV right now, we're giving them much needed love after 20-30 years of neglect that doesn't pencil if they were long term rentals, so we're improving and electrifying old housing stock. Important note.
A⚡️🧵on why we should #electrifyeverything to solve climate change while driving progress vs. degrowth /1
We make most of our electricity from fossil fuels in a manner future generations will find barbaric. Burn fuel to make heat to boil water to make steam to drive turbines to generate electricity. Lose about 2/3 of the energy to heat along the way yet spew all the carbon as CO2. /2
Ok so if electricity generation is so wasteful and dirty, we'd best minimize the amount of electricity we use in our energy mix right? /3
AHRI just released the latest data on heating and cooling installs.
353k homeowners installed natural gas furnaces in Sept.
Those installs guarantee ~4m tons of carbon emissions / year for the next 20 years.
That's 80m of carbon budget 🔥 in a single month.
#energytwitter
353k homeowners installed natural gas furnaces in Sept.
Those installs guarantee ~4m tons of carbon emissions / year for the next 20 years.
That's 80m of carbon budget 🔥 in a single month.
#energytwitter
We need to get that number to zero ASAP. But we're trending in the wrong direction.
Here are the gas furnace install numbers for the last three Septembers:
2019: 286,870
2020: 351,087 (weird year)
2021: 353,047
Here they are for the last 2 decades (note: 2021 YTD is up 30%)
Here are the gas furnace install numbers for the last three Septembers:
2019: 286,870
2020: 351,087 (weird year)
2021: 353,047
Here they are for the last 2 decades (note: 2021 YTD is up 30%)
Now let's look at air conditioning units ❄️
All a/c runs on electricity. That's good. But most a/c units are really inefficient. That's bad.
So in the short term, installing inefficient units is its own form of fossil-fuel lock-in.
All a/c runs on electricity. That's good. But most a/c units are really inefficient. That's bad.
So in the short term, installing inefficient units is its own form of fossil-fuel lock-in.
How much could heat pumps earn selling wholesale grid services? I estimate $25-100 annually per nameplate electrical kW from regulation + synchronous reserve in PJM. A typical home's central air-source heat pump could earn $75-300.
#electrifyeverything #energytwitter #heatpumps
#electrifyeverything #energytwitter #heatpumps
Not huge revenue, but enough to cover aggregation/instrumentation costs within a couple of years. A heat pump aggregator may be able to provide these services alongside others, like demand response curtailment, voltage support, or energy price arbitrage. 2/
These estimates are for reversible variable-speed air-source heat pumps, which both heat and cool, so can provide grid services most of the year. Revenues will be lower for heating-only or fixed-speed (on/off) units. Source is a forthcoming paper. 3/
