A Gas Utility Goes Electric - Vermont Gas Systems

Can gas utilities play a role in shifting our economy away from fossil fuels? One gas utility is innovating ways to embrace electrification.
Utilities that sell fossil gas are at an existential crossroads. Burning gas to heat our homes and buildings produces a myriad of problems including carbon emissions, methane leakage, and significant indoor and outdoor air pollution. Nascent technologies to "clean up" fossil gas, such as bio-gas and synthetic methane, face huge obstacles of cost and availability and do not address all of these inherent problems. And, it is widely recognized that homes powered by renewable electricity are a potent solution to decarbonize our economy, avoid deadly air pollution and address the climate crisis.
Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) is exploring innovative ways to transition to a clean energy future by embracing the clean energy technologies that other utilities all over the US are actively fighting against. VGS has rolled out programs to install electric heat pumps for water heating and space heating and are exploring business opportunities around on-bill financing, district heating and geo-thermal heat pumps.
Join us as we discuss how a gas utility can voluntarily help usher in and potentially thrive in an all-electric, decarbonized future. We will cover the following questions and more:
What programs are VGS exploring to leverage electric solutions ?
Why does VGS think this is an important business model for their future?
How does this align with VGS corporate goals?
How could the resources of VGS help to scale electric heating solutions?
Could these programs be replicated by other gas utilities?
Is this a way for gas utilities to smooth the transition to clean energy?
Or is this just green washing?
Our presenter on this program is:
Morgan Hood - New Product Development Manager, Vermont Gas Systems.