Unintended Consequences of Electrification, What You Need to Know
The world thinks switching from fossil fuels to electricity is the way to reduce our carbon footprint. However, is it really the case?
The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) states that it is a risky move to rush to electrification. According to them, “leaders under pressure about climate and clean energy issues, who also don’t have direct energy experience or understanding themselves, see no flaw in this logic.”
Government officials and politicians are eagerly pushing for clean energy. They do not realize that having this way of thinking can keep them from achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of a 100% clean energy system by 2050.
It is crucial that we learn the electrification’s unintended consequences. This article discusses the truth regarding the cleanliness of electricity, the costs included, and biofuels as a better and more affordable alternative.
What Is Electrification?
Contents
- 1 What Is Electrification?
- 1.1 Electricity: Is It Truly A Source Of Clean Energy?
- 1.2 The Unspoken Myth Surrounding The Electric Car
- 1.3 Electricity Conversion: Homeowners Should Prepare To Pay A Small Fortune To Make The Switch
- 1.4 Biofuels/Bioheat® Home Heating Oil: Reduce Carbon Emissions Immediately For A Fraction Of The Cost
- 1.5 Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Today With Bioheat® Fuel
- 2 Call Townsend Energy To Schedule A BioPure™ Heating Oil Delivery
The electrification process is easy to understand. It encompasses replacing the existing fossil fuel-powered technologies, including oil, coal, and natural gas. These technologies will be replaced with products operated solely by electrical energy as their primary power source.
This can be good for the environment and the green energy movement if done correctly, as electrification is one way to reduce carbon emissions. After all, the building, transportation, and industrial sectors account for 65% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions.
Is electrification the best move to reduce carbon emissions? As a matter of fact, converting to electrification can possibly have damaging effects on the environment. If electricity is produced with resources that release carbon dioxide, it will not be able to reach the desired result of having a world that runs on 100% clean energy.
Electrification is beneficial to some states, such as Washington. They mainly generate electricity by hydropower, so the state will significantly benefit if electrification happens.
On the other hand, Wyoming would not benefit from electrification. The state generates electricity primarily with coal and a small amount of natural gas and renewable sources of energy. The bad news for Wyoming is that the electrification benefits they will have will be negligible at best.
If you are looking for a better option to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050, we will take a peek at biofuel benefits later on.
Electricity: Is It Truly A Source Of Clean Energy?
The bulk of electricity generated is from fossil fuels. Many people do not understand this very crucial distinction. According to the US Energy Information Administration, most of the fossil fuels used for electricity generation also emit greenhouse gasses.
The EIA narrates that US energy production only utilizes renewable energy sources to generate 19% of the total electricity. It may be an unbelievable statement, but it is what’s currently happening.
Electricity is an unclean fuel source. What makes electricity so is that its generation depends heavily on using propane, gas, and oil to create it. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with the fuels. However, the media has frequently vilified them that it may be counterproductive to continue using them to create most of our electricity needs.
The electric car can be seen as an example. They may seem like a clean way to drive a vehicle without needing fossil fuels. However, this is incorrect.
The Unspoken Myth Surrounding The Electric Car
Scientific American published an online article that stated, “Electric cars are great for eliminating oil from transportation because very little US electricity is generated by burning petroleum. But electric cars may or may not help the country combat climate change – and it all depends on where the electricity comes from.”
Around 24% of the greenhouse gas pollution in the US is because of trucks and cars. In states such as California, where most of the generated electricity is clean, they can reduce their CO2 emissions significantly.
However, it is different in the South and Midwest. The bulk of the electricity in these areas is generated using coal. California only generates 100g of greenhouse gasses per mile, but an electric car in Minnesota emits 300g per mile. This only defeats the purpose of converting to electric cars.
It is more logical to have a more selective approach than electrifying the entire auto industry. Some states will significantly benefit from it, while other areas may end up generating more greenhouse gasses, which is an unfortunate situation.
Electricity Conversion: Homeowners Should Prepare To Pay A Small Fortune To Make The Switch
Electrification is far from the savior the media portrays it to be. It is also very expensive for homeowners to switch to it. With rising interest rates, gas prices, and inflation on the rise, it is hardly believable that homeowners are ready to spend money from their savings accounts to convert their homes and lives to electricity as the overall result isn’t what it’s asserted to be.
Let’s take a closer peek at when you convert traditional heating systems to electric heat pumps.
There are cases wherein certain heat pump models need HVAC ducts. Installing ductwork can be expensive. Some older homes weren’t designed with ductwork in mind. The renovation costs in these homes can range from $6000-$12,000 to install the correct ductwork.
Moreover, some older homes may not be able to accommodate the power needs of a new heat pump. As a result, homeowners need to upgrade their whole electrical system. This can cost from $4000-$7000 more on top of their ductwork expenses.
Do you think homeowners will gladly spend this much money?
The bad news is, that this is just the beginning of the expenses they will incur. Other likely expenses are:
- Water Heater Replacement – an electric water heater conversion, with labor and components, can cost as much as $4000.
- Gas To Electric Stove Conversion – converting from gas to electric might cost $400 or more, depending on the home.
- Electric Dryer Conversion – a homeowner may spend $250-$1000 to switch to the right electrical sockets if their home doesn’t have the right ones.
- Upgrading Electrical Service – many older homes have an electric service rate of 100 amperes. Electric homes likely need 200 amperes, which a homeowner can spend $750-$4500, depending on the overhaul size.
Biofuels/Bioheat® Home Heating Oil: Reduce Carbon Emissions Immediately For A Fraction Of The Cost
Homeowners want to do their part to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Everyone is concerned about the environment, after all. A fuel source called Bioheat® oil can effectively heat homes and reduce carbon emissions.
Bioheat® fuel is a mixture of soy oil (20%) and heating oil (ULSHO). This blend is commonly called B20, and it can reduce a home’s greenhouse gas emissions from heating by 20% the moment you convert to this blend.
Moreover, Bioheat® oil is the only liquid heating fuel that does not denigrate oil but instead utilizes it to mix with cleaner burning fuels. The goal is to create mixtures of biodiesel that have a net-zero carbon emission by 2050.
Different renewable agricultural byproducts, such as soybean oil, inedible corn, and cooking oil, are used to make it possible to heat a home with Bioheat® heating oil while reducing mercury emissions, CO2, SOx, and particulate matter.
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Today With Bioheat® Fuel
The Paris Agreement in 2016 had 196 countries committed to lowering the rising temperatures. The goal is to prevent the temperature from rising above 1.5°C. This has pushed for green energy more than ever in the past five years or so.
Switching to electrification may sound logical on the surface. However, we know better now. An unobtrusive, instant and inexpensive solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to start using Bioheat® fuel to heat homes. The current B20 reduces 20% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Contact Townsend Energy to start immediately if you want to protect the environment by heating your homes with BioPure™ heating oil, our version of Bioheat® fuel. Homeowners can quickly protect the Earth from overloading with greenhouse emissions the sooner they switch to BioPure™ home heating oil. Call now to schedule a delivery.
Call Townsend Energy To Schedule A BioPure™ Heating Oil Delivery
Townsend Energy is offering consumers throughout Northeastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Maine a cleaner, greener solution with BioPure™ heating oil. This ULSHO is blended with pure biodiesel.
You don’t need to make any costly modifications to your current furnace when switching to BioPure™ heating oil and can experience all of the benefits of using a cleaner-burning fuel. Give Townsend Energy a call today and let’s discuss how BioPure™ heating oil can get you started in living greener and healthier.
Contact us now at (800) 722-4101 to find out more!
Resources:
https://www.npga.org/news-resources/top-10-reasons-all-electric-is-a-bad-idea/
https://mybioheat.com/bioheat-fuel-vs-electricity/
https://almanacnews.com/news/2022/01/15/guest-opinion-why-electrification-now-is-counter-productive
https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/dont-electrify-everything
https://mybioheat.com/electrification-environmental-impact/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/electric-cars-are-not-necessarily-clean/
https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/electrification-101/
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3