Electrification — The Modern Day Spin on the “All-Electric House”
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we use energy in our homes and communities. For most of my life, fossil fuels were a given—used to heat our homes, fuel our stoves, and power water heaters. But now, more and more people are pulling the plug on natural gas and, quite literally, plugging everything into the wall. The “All Electric House” was a popular phrase back in the 50s, and now it’s back in the form of “Electrification” as one of the top buzzwords in the green home building community.
The idea of running everything purely on electricity sounds clean, right? No more combustion in our kitchens or furnaces. Fewer emissions in our neighborhoods. Just quiet, modern electricity powering everything. But, here’s the thing: electricity doesn’t magically appear when we flip a switch.
Today, in the U.S., a significant portion of our electricity still comes from burning fossil fuels—primarily natural gas and coal. Even if your house isn’t burning gas directly, there’s a good chance the power plant down the line is (see the link below for information on where your power comes from). Sure, renewable sources like wind and solar are growing fast (and I’m cheering them on), but we’re not there yet—not at the scale required to power a fully electrified society. And don’t even get me started on the rejected energy (percentage of energy lost through heat and transmission) as the electricity makes its way from the power plants to the house.
A huge part of this conversation, at least when it comes to midwest houses, is heating. There is a new technology, called cold climate air-to-air heat pumps, that has grabbed my attention. (Stay tuned for a blog post about it!)
There’s also the human side of new tech and electrification. Natural gas appliances have been linked to indoor air pollution—nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other irritants that can aggravate asthma and respiratory conditions, especially in kids. So eliminating gas from homes could improve indoor air quality and reduce health care costs over time. That’s a clear win. But electricity generation has health impacts too, especially when it comes from coal or gas plants that emit fine particulates and contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular issues in surrounding communities—often low-income or marginalized ones.
I don’t think the answer is as simple as banning one fuel and embracing another. We have to be careful that we’re not just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I believe the transition needs to be thoughtful, strategic, and paired with deep investment in clean energy generation, energy efficiency, and grid upgrades. Electrification is a powerful tool—but like any tool, how we use it matters.
For now, Sauter Builders is doing what we can: our framing methods, the type and amount of insulation that we use, and the attention to detail and tech we use in each cozy home we build. This creates a home that is comfortable, energy efficient, and healthy. Because plugging everything into the wall is only as clean as what’s behind that outlet.
Peace,
-Charlie
P.S. I could talk about this fascinating topic all day, so for my fellow nerds, here are two links for more information:
EPA Interactive Map: https://www.epa.gov/egrid/power-profiler#/MROW
The Flip Side of Going All-Electric by Fred Frasch, Ph.D.: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/the-flip-side-of-going-all-electric