Electric vs Gas - Comparing Costs for New Residential Construction

Leah Louis-Prescott from RMI will present results from research which shows that building new
homes with all-electric appliances is lower cost and produces lower emissions in every state they
studied. We will be joined by Waylon White from Earth Advantage to discuss how these results
relate to building in Oregon and the Northwest.

[@TK-ec5bv]

The comment about polluting less with a heat pump vs gas furnace is questionable at present. Most modern furnaces are 95% efficient. Most heat pumps are 200-300% efficient, but with much of the grid still being supplied by 35% efficient natural gas generating plants, this brings the heat pump's efficiency down to where it's nearly comparable with a gas furnace.

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

TK -thanks for your note. This has been heavily researched by multiple organizations and the conclusions are consistent that a heat pump will produce fewer carbon emissions than the most efficient gas furnaces everywhere in the US today. In many parts of the country heat pumps produce as much as 70% fewer emissions. Here is a link to a great presentation on that from a UC Davis study. ucdavis.app.box.com/s/dqja4itdlh1wwicyjh6wag5yswwf97tc

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

TK - thanks for your note. This issue has been thoroughly researched my multiple organizations and the conclusions are consistent that heat pumps produce far fewer carbon emissions than the most efficient gas furnaces in all parts of the US today and this will only get more dramatic as the grid gets cleaner due to the ever increasing levels of renewables in the grid - most new generation scheduled for the next 10 years are renewables. This presentation from UC Davis is one of the most sophisticated studies on this issue. ucdavis.app.box.com/s/dqja4itdlh1wwicyjh6wag5yswwf97tc
Regarding comfort - heat pumps are being used in the coldest parts of the country like Maine and have been common in Norway and other very cold parts of the world for decades. They actually provide more comfort than gas furnaces due to their more continuous operation and constant air movement which results in all the mateirials in the house being warm, not just the air that comes out of the vents occasionally the way gas furnaces heat.