Electrify everything to reduce carbon footprint
Source: https://youarecurrent.com/2023/04/23/column-electrify-everything-to-reduce-carbon-footprint/
According to the nonprofit Rewiring America, 42 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions come from decisions we make around the kitchen table. This includes the cars we drive, how we heat our homes and water, how we cook our food, how we dry our clothes and where our electricity comes from.
Why electrify everything? Because electric machines are generally much more efficient than their fossil fuel counterparts and, therefore, they generate less emissions. This is true even when the electricity is generated by fossil fuel-burning utilities. Plus, there is a bonus. As electric utilities transition to cleaner renewable energy, the contribution of greenhouse gases by electric machines will diminish over time, whereas emissions from their fossil fuel counterparts will not.
The key to jump-starting this electrifying process in the United States is the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law last year. Many of its provisions are already in effect. For example, the IRA provides tax credits for installing rooftop solar, replacing a gas furnace with an electric heat pump and replacing a gasoline powered car with an electric vehicle. For low and moderate-income households, who do not have adequate tax liability to offset a tax credit, sizable rebates at the point of sale will enable them to switch to all electric. Renters can benefit as well.