<![CDATA[ELECTRIFY MISSOULA - Electrify Stories-Blog]]>Sat, 04 Apr 2026 07:08:22 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Villagio Apartments: Multi-Solving for Climate & Affordability]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:14:49 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/villagio-apartments-multi-solving-for-climate-affordability
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Photo courtesy of Missoula Housing Authority.
It’s a true spring day, with pockets of sun interrupted by snow-filled gusts sweeping across the Missoula Valley. Sara Stout, outreach coordinator and grant writer for the Missoula Housing Authority, eagerly welcomes a small group of climate and building professionals into the lobby of the Villagio Apartments, one of Missoula’s newest affordable housing projects.

While there are many success stories that can be linked to the Villagio, the small group in the lobby is here to tackle a less visible - but highly impactful one: the benefits of energy efficiency for prolonged health and affordability.

Evan Hauser, project manager for MAH, steps out of the lobby office.

“You ready for the tour?” he asks as he shakes hands over a quick round of introductions.
Both Hauser’s and Stout’s enthusiasm over the pending tour – of bathroom faucets, ceiling fans, ENERGY STAR appliances and efficient water heaters – is infectious.
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Evan and Sara showcasing a WaterSense sink faucet.
Stout leads the group to the fifth floor, to an unoccupied residence, where she ushers everyone into the spacious bathroom, the official first stop of the tour.

Stout turns on the sink faucet as Hauser explains that the fixture is a WaterSense product, which is an EPA designation much like ENERGY STAR, but focused on water conservation. The water aerators, coupled with the low-flow shower heads, are estimated to save the average U.S. household a combined 3,400 gallons of water per year. Not having to treat and pump that extra water into the building each year also results in significant community energy savings, reducing our valley’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

MHA pays for all residents’ water use at Villagio – all 200 units – so in addition to environmental stewardship, the investment in water-smart appliances greatly benefits the organization financially.
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Also on display in the bathroom is the exhaust fan, which is programmed as a slow start to save energy. “The WhisperGreen Select Line of fans are built using DC motor technology. The DC motor is 30% - 70% more energy efficient than the minimum ENERGY STAR requirements.”
After appreciating the exhaust fan as only a group of building professionals can, the tour progresses into the hall to feature the ENERGY STAR-certified washer and dryer unit.

“Even though we pay for their water use, each tenant is responsible for their other utilities,” says Stout. “It’s estimated that this efficient washer and dryer system saves them 20% on their electric bill over a non-certified washer, which for our residents is critical in keeping things affordable.”
Stout also highlighted that having access to an in-home dishwasher and clothes washer helps improve the quality of life for residents, which, in addition to affordability, is paramount to MHA’s vision.

Missoula Housing Authority owns and manages 15 properties and 158 apartments, duplexes, and single‑family homes throughout Missoula. Many of their larger multifamily buildings include climate-smart features that help families reduce costs and lessen environmental impact. MHA’s in‑house construction and development arm, Bristlecone Development, is committed to sustainable, resident‑focused building practices and carries these values through every project.

“Building efficiently not only keeps our properties affordable, it improves health and comfort for our residents” says Hauser. “And it’s a good investment.”
Each of the 200 apartments in the Villagio (which, fun side note, can all be converted into ADA-accessible units if needed) were independently blower-door tested in the middle and at the end of construction to ensure a tight building envelope. This tight construction, coupled with high-efficiency building materials and windows, leads to more efficient heating and lower utility bills for residents. The intentional air ventilation and filtration throughout the complex helps protect indoor air quality during wildfire smoke season and winter inversions. And each unit has a high-efficiency air conditioning unit, which is an addition above what’s required by Montana code, to help residents stay safer during increasingly hotter summers.
The energy savings yielded by installing ultra-efficient electric appliances not only benefits MHA and their clients, it also supports local utilities by curbing grid demand. This energy reduction is enough of a benefit that utilities often offer incentives for installing ENERGY STAR appliances. For the Villagio, MHA was able to access $35,000 in appliance rebates which, while small in comparison to the cost of the complex, is still a significant boon for the building’s maintenance and operations budget.
Stout, Hauser and the team at MHA are committed to sustainability and affordability and that commitment also extends outside of the home. The authority is advocating for increased bus service to the apartments, offers locked bike storage in the parking garage, and is supporting area beautification, including a park and playground going in this summer to support the Villagio’s youngest residents. (The complex boasts the highest concentration of kids out of any MHA property.)

The Villagio is a powerful demonstration of how communities can solve for multiple challenges – affordable housing, climate change, sustainability – in an interconnected way that actually improves health, comfort and quality of life for all.

Visit the Missoula Housing Authority's website to learn more about the organization and its properties.
]]><![CDATA[Taking Action for the Next Generation]]>Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:50:02 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/taking-action-for-the-next-generation
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Written by Michael Flanagan
After learning of the concerns of our youngest grandson about the looming effects of climate change, we decided that we needed to start acting. So in the Fall of 2021, Louise and I took the first step and added 16 solar panels to our home. This number was chosen by reviewing our electricity usage over the previous 12 months and adding a fudge factor to account for our plans to install a heat pump and increasing the usage of our clothes dryer. ​We had been hanging our clothes in our dry basement, but because of our advancing ages, we assumed that we would eventually have to stop carrying our clothes down the stairs. (So far we still carry them to the basement.)
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The Flanagan's 16 solar panels.
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The most energy-efficient way to dry laundry: a clothes line.
Installing the heat pump was a reaction to the very smoky summer of 2021. We normally had been cooling our home by opening the windows at night and closing them in the day time. Because of the hazardous air quality we couldn’t do that and our house became uncomfortable. So, if we were going to put in an air conditioner, we decided to step it up and get some heat out of it also.

At the time, we sized the heat pump for keeping our living area and our bedroom cool, opting for a mini split with two heads, one in each room. Through usage we have learned how effective the heat pump is in keeping our home comfortable for all but the two to three months of really cold weather. In retrospect, I now realize that a properly sized air-to-air heat pump can work throughout the winter season.
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In-ceiling mini split head.
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Wall-mounted mini split head.
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Exterior heat pump unit.
In 2023, we replaced our 38-year-old electric stove with an induction model. This was part of our slow, overall upgrade to our kitchen. We are pleased with the induction stove and like the quick response to turning down the heat as the pot begins to boil, in particular. It reacts even quicker than a gas stove would and, obviously, doesn’t pollute the household’s air.
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Spaghetti sauce simmering on the induction stove.
In summer 2024 we replaced our aging, gas hot water heater with a heat pump model. This wasn’t done for economic reasons (as gas is still very cheap in Montana), but instead to further reduce our use of natural gas. Doing some calculations on how much gas we used in the summer, when we were only heating our water and not our entire home, I calculated that the cost for switching from gas to electric would be a wash financially, except for the fact that we have always generated a surplus of electricity from our solar panels. So, actually, we should be able to utilize all of the extra electricity that our panels are generating to now heat our water.
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Heat pump water heater.
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Michael and Louise Flanagan.
And we aren't done yet. When we had the electrical wire installed for our hot water heater, we also had them install a 240V receptacle in the garage. I see a EV in our future.
]]><![CDATA[Elisabeth & Norman: Someday Can Be Today]]>Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:50:24 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/elisabeth-norman-someday-can-be-today
Narrative written by Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan.
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When Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan and Norman Singley bought their 1960s-era house in Southgate Triangle in 2020, electrification felt like a “someday that’d be nice” thing. But within the year, after looking into costs, incentives, payback times, and gas prices, suddenly making some upgrades seemed a lot more doable.
 
They started by gathering quotes from a few local solar installers, ultimately choosing to put 20 solar panels on the roof of their standalone garage. With tax credits from the federal government and the state of Montana (in 2021), plus a low-interest loan from Clearwater Credit Union, the project became affordable—and that’s with the cost of replacing the garage roof rolled in (it was at the end of its life). The solar panels were connected to the grid in March of 2022, and that year, the home produced more electricity than it used from March through October.
 
While the solar project was in progress, Elisabeth and Norman started shopping for an electric vehicle. A new one was out of reach financially, but they found a good-looking 2012 Nissan Leaf at a dealership in Spokane. Though it didn’t have a high range—roughly 70 miles in summer and 35 to 40 in winter—they figured it could handle all their local trips. And it has—since they bought the car in January of 2022, they drive it 95 percent of the time. (They kept their Subaru Outback for longer trips.) Since the range is on the lower side, the car recharges within a matter of hours even on a Level 1 trickle charge, aka a standard plug, so they didn’t need to install an additional charger at home.
 
Then, Elisabeth and Norman decided to convert their standalone garage into an all-electric accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Finished in May 2023, the ADU—or cottage, as they like to call it—has a mini-split heat pump with two heads (one in the living room, one in the bedroom), an electric stove, and an electric water heater. They looked into installing a heat pump water heater, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough space in the utility closet to provide the proper airflow. But the couple is planning to replace the methane gas water heater in the basement of their main house with a heat pump water heater in the near future. Next up: They’d like to add more solar panels and replace their methane furnace with a ducted heat pump.  
]]><![CDATA[The Numbers Just Made Sense]]>Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:01:19 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/the-numbers-just-made-senseWritten by Evora Glenn, City of Missoula

Type of Project: Retrofit
Type of building: Single family home
Systems electrified:
  • Solar
  • Air Source Heat Pump and Air handler
Financing used: DEQ loan and IRA tax credits 25C and 25D
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When Nick and Caitlin bought their house in early 2020 they already knew that solar and electrification were upgrades they’d want to explore. Nick had been interested in solar since he was a kid, he even won an award in his high school science fair by exploring how to optimize the photovoltaic effect – the process that our modern solar panels use to generate electricity. Caitlin also had an early introduction to renewable energy in Iowa where she grew up witnessing the utility-scale transition to wind energy. The opportunity to install solar at their own home felt like an empowering way to join the transition to clean electricity. Knowing their new home was heated by an old diesel furnace also spurred their plans to upgrade to a highly efficient air source heat pump when the diesel system would inevitably need to be replaced.
They’d been exploring the options to install solar and upgrade their heating system for several months when their diesel tank started to run low on fuel. Their usual management of this system was that about once a year they would refill the massive tank that supplied their furnace with diesel through the cold season. Unfortunately, as their tank began to run low in early spring of 2022, it was not a usual year. Due to a number of economic disruptions, we were all in the midst of a painful spike in fuel prices. It was arguably the worst time in years to buy hundreds of gallons of diesel. Instead of paying this exorbitant premium, they made the tricky decision that many of us have had to make at some point in our lives - they went without. It wasn’t deep winter when they turned off their heat, but it was a long, cold spring. 
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The old diesel furnace right before it was removed.
While going without was doable, it was also a wakeup call. They wanted to make the switch to solar and electric heat as soon as they could. By February of 2023, the furnace had reached the end of its operational life, spurring the urgent necessity for replacement.
​Moving forward with both upgrades at the same time was not only going to remove them from alarmingly volatile fuel prices, it was also going to save them money long-term. Nick ran the numbers on initial cost and energy savings over time. That clarity on the full economic picture was what finally empowered Nick and Caitlin to take the leap. They could see that they’d be better off economically by making the switch. 
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Installing solar was particularly important in this calculus. If they had decided to only switch to the electric air source heat pump they would be saving a ton compared to their old diesel system, but they also knew that the price of electricity compared to the price of natural gas would have made a natural gas furnace the cheaper option up front, and to operate. That changed with solar. By installing solar at home, they could generate the additional electricity they’d need to power their electric heat pump, saving big on electricity costs. This reduction in cost made the switch to electric heating the best option cost-wise. After 10 years, they’ll have paid off the initial cost of their upgrades and will be paying next to nothing to heat and cool their home for at least the next two decades. Those are significant savings.
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While doing the upgrades together made the most sense financially, it introduced some technical complexity. They needed to work with a solar installer to quote them for a solar array that would meet their future electricity demand after they’d installed their electric heating, not their current electricity demand. Not all installers were interested in looking ahead and making estimates, but they were able to get traction with Solar Plexus who explored their options for solar development and let Caitlin and Nick know how much solar their home was suitable for and how much their future electricity need might be. That information was enough for Nick and Caitlin to make an informed decision on their solar array size.
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The new, ducted heat pump system.
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Solar infrastructure & electrical box.
Beyond the technical considerations, Nick and Caitlin were also looking at financial resources to make these two upgrades at once and were supported by the Department of Environmental Quality’s Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program as well as the new tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. The DEQ loan would cover the up-front cost of the solar and the heat pump, and the tax credits took 30% off the cost of both technologies.
This same tax credit also applies to highly efficient heat pump water heaters, which is next on Nick and Caitlin’s agenda. They hope to combine the 30% tax credit with a local Missoula City-County rebate that takes an additional $575 off the cost. With this next upgrade, Nick and Caitlin will be well on their way to an all-electric home powered by renewable energy.

For them, joining the transition to electrification and renewable energy is also about the health and safety benefits. They’ve had more than one close friend or family member have a scare with their natural gas systems. In each case, a mechanical malfunction created high levels of carbon monoxide in their homes, a severely dangerous situation. They were lucky their alarms functioned properly and that they evacuated instead of going to investigate. Both Nick and Caitlin are looking forward to when they can rest assured that such risks will no longer be a concern in their home.
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Of all the different factors that encouraged them to make these changes, and all their motivations for doing so, Nick and Caitlin have one big piece of advice for other family’s looking to do the same: run the numbers. When they could see the whole economic picture, it made the choice a no-brainer. 
]]><![CDATA[Advocating for a More Sustainable home]]>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 18:04:43 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/advocating-for-a-more-sustainable-homeWritten by Homeowners Ted Catton & Diane Krahe

When our methane gas (aka natural gas) furnace gave up the ghost in March 2021, we knew it was time to transition our house to electric heat. We live in a small Craftsman-style house in the slant streets. Previous to the furnace going out, we had improved our house’s insulation, replaced old windows, and, in 2018, we installed nine solar panels on the southwest-facing roof. But the solar power that is generated from our rooftop solar array is only enough to cover our electrical appliances, lights, and plug-ins. We knew that home heating is the big one for home energy use, and wondered what our electrical home heating options were and how many more solar panels we would need to power the system.
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Little did we imagine that we would talk to about a dozen different installers before finding the right one, or that we would need to do so much research for ourselves, or that we would go through the next winter without a major heat source in the house!
​Now, two years later, we have a forced-air heat pump connected to our old ductwork, plus a mini-split in the back room. We will shortly have a second row of solar panels installed on the roof that should provide enough juice to run the home heating system year round.
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That last point is our bottom line. Skeptics told us that we did not have enough rooftop for all the solar panels that would be needed to heat our house by electricity. But after one full winter of running the system with electricity purchased from Northwest Energy, we now know how much juice it takes. Another row of solar panels will take care of it.
 
The first thing we learned in this process was that just about every industry rep you talk to wants to sell you a new natural gas furnace. Any installer will discuss clean-energy alternatives with you, but they will advocate for what is most economical, or what is most comfortable, not what is sustainable. So you learn a lot from them but you also have to do a lot of your own research and figuring (and advocating).
 
The next thing we learned is that the heat pump technology comes in many varieties so you have to learn the ins and outs of ductless systems, inverter technology, air handlers, mini-splits, BTUs, kilowatt hours, and more.
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We spent a lot of time investigating geothermal home heating systems. Ultimately, we found that drilling a well on our property was impractical because the yard was too confined of a space for a drill rig to operate in. And the long wait for a driller would have set us back another winter!
 
So, we got the heat pump system installed in August 2022 and passed the winter of 2022-23 snug in our electric heated house. 
We have a natural gas insert in our fireplace in the living room. We are keeping this for its aesthetics and as an emergency backup heat source. (We made it through the winter of 2021-22, the winter we were transitioning between systems, by closing off half our house and relying on this source to keep the living room and kitchen comfortably warm. For December and January, we moved all the house plants into the living room and rented another place to live.) Besides the insert, we still have a natural gas water heater. When it wears out, we will replace it with an electric one.
We are learning to live with thermostats set at the same temperature all around the clock and with warm air coming out of the heat vents at about 100º F rather than 130º F. Instead of a growly furnace in the basement, now we occasionally hear a whoosh from the Freon gas shooting through the lines when it is very cold outside and the outdoor unit enters the defrost cycle. We were concerned about how much outdoor noise pollution the outdoor unit would make. It is quite minimal. We feel that changing our home heating system from natural gas to electric was something we simply had to do and we are pleased with the results.
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]]><![CDATA[The Small-Footprint Tree House]]>Thu, 11 May 2023 18:07:24 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/the-small-footprint-tree-houseWhen Marguerite and Andy had the opportunity to move their family of four from Washington, D.C., back to Marguerite's hometown of Missoula, Montana, they leapt at the opportunity. The move allowed them to be closer to family, (just down the road from Andy's mom and sharing a driveway with Marguerite's), and gave them the chance to build a methane-gas-free home under the very tree where they got married.

Watch the video below to learn more about their small-footprint tree house and how it's already inspiring change in the lower Rattlesnake.
]]><![CDATA[Peter's Pretty Good House]]>Thu, 04 May 2023 16:03:41 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/peters-pretty-good-housePeter Gurche believes we all have a part to play in addressing the climate crisis. He's doing his part by helping to inspire others to rethink how they design and build their homes. Using the concept of the "Pretty Good House," Peter's all-electric home features a ducted heat-pump heating and cooling system, electric hot water heater, induction stove and heat recovery unit. Watch the video below to learn more.
]]><![CDATA[The Huseths: Making a Plan to Go Electric]]>Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:28:43 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/the-huseths-making-a-plan-to-go-electricWhen Abby and Eric Huseth moved into their historic westside home, they were excited about getting solar panels to offset their energy use. They soon realized, however, that several of their larger appliances were fueled by methane gas and that initially, solar didn't quite pencil out. So they made a plan to begin transitioning their aging gas appliances to go electric.

The first appliance they tackled was their hot water heater. This transition required the Huseths to upgrade their electrical service, which was a big step, but ultimately it was worth it. Moving from gas-fueled to an electric heat-pump water heater was more efficient overall and became the tipping point where solar finally made sense.

Since then, the couple has added solar to their roof and they've committed to being a one-car family. When possible, they shuttle their two young boys around via a cargo e-bike instead of a fossil-fuel car. As Eric puts it, it's the "minivan of bikes." And the kids? They absolutely love it.
]]><![CDATA[The Zooks: An All Electric ADU]]>Wed, 19 Apr 2023 19:00:19 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/the-zooks-an-all-electric-aduBrandon and Bailey Zook, of Missoula's Northside neighborhood, are realizing a project that many would only fantasize about: converting their dilapidated garage into a fully electric Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). In order to maximize efficiency, the Zooks are taking extra steps during initial construction to ensure the ADU is airtight (with heat-capturing, intentional ventilation) so they're not using more energy than necessary when it comes to heating and cooling.

The ADU will have three air-pump heating units, an induction stove and a tankless hot water heater. The goal is to install solar panels on the unit's south-facing roof to fully cover the electricity needed for the ADU and the main house. In their main house, the couple has plans to covert the mostly gas appliances to electric as they can, to further reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and lower their carbon footprint.

Learn more in the video below!
]]><![CDATA[Jeremy: Full Home electrification]]>Thu, 22 Sep 2022 20:12:40 GMThttps://www.electrifymissoula.org/electrify-stories-blog/jeremy-full-home-electrificationType of Project: Retrofit
Type of building: Single family residential
System(s) Electrified
Heat (boiler)
Hot water
Stove (induction)
Solar
Financing used: DEQ Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Fund

When Jeremy Nichols decided to add on to his home, the decision to go all-electric felt like a no-brainer. Jeremy works on climate and energy for a national conservation nonprofit, and feels it’s important to not just fight for needed policy changes but also take action in his personal life as much as he can.

Suffice to say, Jeremy had been dreaming about getting off of gas entirely for a while, and the house addition was his chance to go all in. 

Some steps towards his all-electric quest were easier, like swapping out his gas water heater for a hybrid heat pump-electric one. 

But figuring out all-electric heat was a bit trickier. 

He had a 20-year-old, gas-fired hydronic boiler system, with underfloor heating on the bottom floor and baseboard radiators upstairs. Originally, Jeremy looked into air-to-air heat pumps & mini-split options, but those would have required keeping the gas boiler as backup - something he was determined to avoid. 

So he did some research and, after some googling and phone calls, he had a promising lead on an air-to-water heat pump system, designed to operate in cold climates. Bingo! The company was Arctic Heat Pumps, and their closest local rep, Todd, was in Bozeman. When Jeremy called him up, Todd happened to know of a Missoula contractor who had installed these kinds of systems before - Marc Hauger at New Era Plumbing and Heating. Marc ended up doing the system design and installation. Luckily, there was space to mount the heat pump outside and expand the utility closet inside. The heat pump is technically rated to operate down to external temperatures of -15 degrees F, but Jeremy did opt to install an on-demand electric backup, though he doesn’t anticipate having to use it more than a handful of times a year.

There are some differences when it comes to operating a hydronic heat pump system. The water temperature maxes out around 120 degrees, versus a typical gas boiler system that can get up to 180. That means you don’t want too much variability between the temperatures it’s set at over the course of the day (smaller “setbacks,” in energy efficiency lingo), so that the system runs more consistently and doesn’t have to work as hard to heat and cool. This improves efficiency and helps maintain consistent temperatures inside the home. Jeremy found he also needed to replace his old baseboard radiators with modern European-style ones; these have more surface area which makes it possible to harness the full heating ability of lower water temps. 

With the big item of heating checked off his electrification list, Jeremy kept going. He swapped his old gas range for an induction one, which he loves. Since his home would be using a lot more electricity, he decided to go solar too; his system was installed with the goal of covering 100% of the home’s annual electricity needs. And as the house was under construction anyway, it made sense to add a bunch of insulation to the upstairs level.

Finally, the day came when Jeremy turned off the gas to his home for good - and removed the meter too, just for good measure. 

One bonus of the new heat pump? It can also cool. Jeremy doesn’t anticipate needing to use this feature much, since the bulked-up insulation should keep the house from getting too hot. But it’s a great option for wildfire smoke season when he doesn't want to open windows to cool down. 

Jeremy’s advice? You don’t have to go all the way if you want to go electric - you can go step by step, and it will look different for everyone. The more people take steps, the easier it will be for everyone else.

Jeremy is honest about the unknowns of this project - particularly financially. He is confident that it will pay off in the long term, but he won’t know whether it will save money in the short term until going through a couple of seasons with the new systems in place. Regardless, it’s been worth it to be able to walk the walk when it comes to his values. 

As Jeremy put it, “My job is to try to put the fossil fuel industry out of business. We do that through policy and litigation, but it’s nice to make some personal choices that have an impact, too.”
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