As more and more California municipalities pass natural gas bans (the total is now more than 50), many homeowners will have no choice but to electrify their new homes. For others who aren’t building new houses or whose towns or cities haven’t passed ordinances (yet), home electrification is a way to get ahead of the curve and make their houses better for the environment while lowering their carbon footprints. Many utility districts are now also offering lucrative home electrification rebates to make these home upgrades.
If you’re considering home electrification, you likely have two major questions:
1 . What are the different ways to electrify my California home?
2. How do I find a quality local electrification contractor to do the work?
Luckily, the Clean Energy Connection can help you answer both of these questions!
How to Start Electrification Upgrades At Home
If you aren’t building a new house, you’re likely not going to want to go through the expense of updating everything in your home at once. So how do you electrify your home, and what’s the best first step towards sustainable, green living?
First, it’s important to think about all the different electrification upgrades and ways to switch from gas to electric there are:
- Your electricity source—Solar panels are one of the best ways to take advantage of an electric home. Not only can you be sure that you are powering your home with clean electricity using solar panels, but you can dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, your electricity costs with free power! Add-ons like solar battery storage, upgraded electrical panels, and smart home controls can help make your home electrification upgrades smoother and more efficient.
- Your heating and cooling system—If you’re using a gas or oil furnace or boiler to heat your home, you could be reducing greenhouse gas emissions (and saving money) by upgrading to all-electric heat pump HVAC systems. Ducted heat pumps and ductless mini-splits have both heating and cooling settings, allowing you to replace your AC and heating system and upgrade to high-efficiency operation. Your local utility company may even have rebates for upgrading your heating and cooling equipment.
- Your water heater—Electric heat pump water heaters are much more efficient than traditional gas heaters, saving you money and reducing energy waste. Check your utility for local rebates.
- Your clothes dryer—Similarly, heat pump clothes dryers can save you hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of your unit in energy costs compared to both gas-powered dryers and standard electric units.
- Your stove—Induction stovetops are nothing like traditional electric coil stoves—they offer all of the benefits of a gas stove without the greenhouse gas emissions or safety hazards.
- Your car—if you’re upgrading to an all-electric vehicle, installing a dedicated EV charger at your home can help you charge faster and use 100% clean energy to power your car or truck.
Is there a correct order in which to electrify your home? Not necessarily, though many clean energy contractors will tell you that before you install solar panels, it’s important to improve your home’s energy efficiency and upgrade your home’s appliances and systems. Reduce before you produce. That way, you’ll know how much energy your home will need to run completely on electricity, and you can size and design your solar array accordingly.
How to Find a Home Contractor You Can Trust
Now that you know what home electrification projects exist, you’ll need to find the right company to electrify your house. It can be hard to sort through all the different contractors in your area. Is it possible to find one company that will handle all of your upgrades? How can you be sure that the company you find is properly licensed and will perform quality work?
That’s precisely why we created the Clean Energy Connection. Our free online directory helps connect local homeowners with California contractors specializing in clean energy services, including solar-powered home upgrades, electric stove replacement, and much more.
The directory is 100% free for both the approved contractors and the homeowners using the service to find help for their homes, and we have no financial stake in which company you choose. Plus, we vet every contractor listed on the Clean Energy Connection to ensure they are licensed and have a track record of exceptional customer service. You can filter your search results by location, name, and services offered, making it easy to find the right company for your home.
Ready to start electrifying your home? Talk to a qualified clean energy expert and learn more.