With buildings accounting for about 60 percent of Arlington’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, electrification–elimination of onsite combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas–in homes and commercial and residential buildings is essential to achieving the Community Energy Plan (CEP) goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. As progress toward the county’s goal for shifting to electricity from 100 percent renewable sources by 2035 is made, GHG emissions from all-electric buildings will fall toward zero.
The emerging standards for a Net Zero Carbon (NZC) building require optimized energy efficiency, full electrification, and use of on-site or offsite carbon-free renewable energy. While building to a NZC standard is not our current norm, technology, and building practices are rapidly moving in this direction. Research, rationales and specific measures described in the New Buildings Institute Building Electrification Technology Roadmap can be adapted to Arlington’s meteorological, business, and political climate.
In addition, the myth of “clean natural gas” is being dispelled by emerging research. Several physicians in a 2020 New England Journal of Medicine op-ed identified a multitude of environmental and health hazards associated in the life cycle of natural gas. Studies also point to the impact on indoor air quality and the health effects of gas stoves. In the meantime, heat-pump technologies have matured from earlier generations in the 1970s and offer an energy-efficient means to comfortably heat and cool homes and other buildings. Heat pump and tankless hot water systems are more efficient than traditional electric systems, and induction cooktops are inecreasingly recognized as superior to cooking with natural gas or traditional electric stoves.
According to the New Buildings Institute, a key barrier to making the shift to all-electric systems and appliances are the “business models of the supply chain and installers whose typical practices, recommendations, and revenues are tied to a gas-burning product line.” As a consumer and a citizen you can help shift this paradigm by:
- Replacing natural gas heating systems, hot water heaters, dryers, and cooking appliances with energy-efficient electric options and reducing overall energy consumption through improved insulation and sealing and conservation measures. Initiatives under consideration at the state and federal level could offer rebates and other financial mechanisms to cover some of the costs
- Asking about energy costs when buying or renting a new home or apartment and, as feasible, choosing all-electric and the most energy-efficient option available
- Advocating for Net Zero Carbon buildings and the phasing out of natural gas systems in new construction and major renovations as part of ongoing opportunities in Arlington for residents to weigh in on community development planning and projects.
This content originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of The EcoAdvocate newsletter produced by the EcoAction Arlington Advocacy Committee. For more information about the Advocacy Committee, please visit ecoactionarlington.org/get-involved/ecoaction-arlingtondvocacy/