Last month we sponsored and attended the 7^th annual GoCleanEnergy conference. The event, held at COCC, was well attended and had a focus on the new federally funded incentives of CPACE program (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy). Although this portion of the conference was very interesting and helped bring clarification to beneficial financing options for builders, I want to highlight practical resources from the event that all homeowners can take advantage of.

Brian Stewart of Electrify Now kicked off the conference with a presentation that provided multiple great takeaways for anyone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint by retrofitting their home. I’m not going to attempt to list the many examples and statistics that Brian provided, but instead highlight home heating sources and options. When most of us think of the use of fossil fuels we usually look outward at big industries or the effect of automobiles, neglecting to consider the very homes we live in. According to the Electrify Now website a full 1/4 of all US emissions are from burning gas for heat! 

Brian pointed out that natural gas has a reputation as a clean burning fuel, and yet the average gas furnace and gas water heater combined will produce 5 - 11 Tons of CO2 per year. He also noted that over the 10 to 15 year lifespans of these products, they will produce 60 to 150 Tons of CO2. Heating our homes comprises 60% of all home energy use. This is by far the largest source of household carbon emissions. The majority of homes in Oregon are heated by fossil gas. This means that a huge opportunity exists for moving to cleaner energy as older furnaces and water heaters are replaced by highly efficient heat pumps.

This information was enough to motivate me to look into replacing my gas/electric furnace and water heater. My first step towards this will be to attend Electrify Now’s upcoming webinar: Cold Climate Heat Pumps. If you also are interested in finding out more about cleaner energy options for your home, you can sign-up for free through the link provided. The Electrify Now website is also packed with valuable information and suggestions for everything related to your home’s impact on the environment.

Thanks for reading!

Jack Schniepp is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®, ChFC®) and the owner of Cascade Financial Strategies. CFS is a registered investment advisor licensed in Oregon, California and Arizona. They specialize in socially responsible investing which integrates environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria into portfolio construction.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.