When 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.

Peter 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.

When 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.

Brandon 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!

Type of Project:  Existing home update
Type of building: Single family residential
System(s) Electrified: Solar PV

When we put out the call for Electrify stories, Mike responded. We’ll let him explain the story of going solar - and dreams for further electrification projects - in his own words. 

I’ve been thinking about a solar installation for a couple of years. In September 2021 I attended the Climate & Clean Energy Expo at Caras Park Pavilion. I think there were two things I learned from the education forums that tipped the balance for me:

• Learning about hot water heat pump technologies and how that technology has advanced. It was particularly helpful to hear the stories from two individuals who had completed hot water heat pump systems. Our home has hot water heat as well as domestic hot water. The low energy demands of the current hot water heat pump systems and our interest in solar tweaked my interest.
• The other session was on the progress being made in battery technologies, and the “3-years out” potential for battery support.

These educational sessions, plus a face-to-face consult with one of the solar vendors really tipped the balance for me. Consulting with an installer and scheduling an install for April 2022 were also key to moving ahead.

We invested in a system with 13 panels and infrastructure to easily add 5 more panels (18 panels total) for future demand as we convert to more electric use supported by solar. You can see the 5 empty bays in the photo.

Our general plan going forward is to replace our gas boiler and gas water heater with hot water heat pump technology. Both these gas systems are about 8 years old. Given technological changes, policy changes, progress within the industry, and current supply chain disruptions we decide that we will convert to hot water heat pumps 3 years from now along with the installation of a battery system. Of course, we will take advantage of any change or incentive to move earlier should that occur. All of this is also incentive to invest in a small electric vehicle.

Out of finally getting solar installed, the biggest change for us has been in attitude. It makes a difference when I can look out our window and see what is powering our slow cooker or washer. There is a direct connection (no pun intended). I’m sure I would feel differently about electricity from fossil fuels if I saw the emissions from my use of electricity directly over my house.

The key to my success was attending the Climate and Clean Energy Expo and being able to talk directly with others who have installed or are thinking about installing solar systems (question and answer sessions), and the ease of talking directly with a local vendor about installation. It made the whole process easier. Now that we have moved in the direction of solar, I can only encourage others to learn and investigate true energy independence.

1). What initially prompted you to make the switch to an electric system? 
Both the need to replace the outdated furnace AND the desire to completely disconnect from natural gas.
 
2). What resources helped you along the way?
A plumber friend and a ground-source guru (Marc Hauger, New Era Plumbing and Heating) explained the system to us, he designed it and built it.

3). What were some of the barriers you ran into?
The cost is certainly an issue, but with a great government loan program (low rate) and a 30% tax rebate (in 2021) it made it a little bit easier, especially factoring in the cost of a new furnace that we needed to do anyway.

4). What sort of funding resources did you take advantage of? 
There was a federal loan program* that offered a maximum of $40,000 at a <4% interest rate. We borrowed the entire $40,000 (which helped renovate our kitchen, and installed in-floor hydronic heat, drilled a well, and reconfigured the entire mechanical system of the house). 
*Note: We believe that this is actually a loan program through DEQ, not a federal loan program.

5). Did you consider the payback period of your system (long-term vs. short-term costs)? 
The R.O.I. (return on investment) only makes sense on a long-term basis. When we installed the ground-source system we didn't expect an energy cost savings. Our electric bill increased, but the gas side of the NorthWestern bill was gone! It took a month for NW Energy to come out to our house and lock the gas line, otherwise we still were charged certain gas fees. HOWEVER, since installing the 25 solar panels (2 years ago), we have not paid NorthWestern ANYTHING!! But, again, even considering zero energy payments, Marta and I will probably be dead before those savings equal the cost of getting this house to net-zero. This is key: one does not strive for net-zero for energy-cost savings. The cost does not pencil out. The REAL reason is to do it for the house. We recently moved out of that house and are renting it. Those renters pay nothing for their power, as will all generations to come.

6). Did you apply for any rebates or financial incentives through your utility? 
We just learned that there is a ground-source incentive via NorthWestern Energy, and we are certainly going to tap into this for our current project.

7). Did you see any change reflected on your utility bill? 
Not much change until we installed solar panels two years ago. Since then there have been negligible payments to NorthWestern Energy.

8). To what extent are you tying your system to on-site solar?  
Our ultimate goal is to be off-grid. We are waiting until the battery technology gets a bit better.

9). Did you pair your electric system with “smart” controls (ie. programmable thermostat)? 
We have a "Nest" thermostat, which can do WAY MORE than we will ever tap into.

10). Has your ground source heat pump affected your household’s thermal comfort? 
The comfort comes from converting from gas forced-air furnace to in-floor heat. Having the floor warm allows the thermostat to be much lower in the winter. With a furnace, the temperature fluctuates from too warm to too cold all day long. Hydronic heat levels this out. PLUS!, in the summer we chill the floor by circulating the well water temperature through the floors, thus extracting heat from the rooms.

11). What is the make/model of the system you chose? Why did you choose this
ground source heat pump over others? 
The system was designed and installed by New Era Plumbing, we had no input on the design.

12). Was the existing ductwork/HVAC infrastructure compatible with your heat pump? 
We tore out all the old, mouse-turd infected ducts. THEY WERE GROSS!

13). How well does your system perform in the winter? 
Superbly.

14). What kind of permit was required? Did you find the permitting process slow or hard to navigate? 
​We had to get a permit to drill the well, which was relatively easy. I think the Health Department enjoys something odd to consider, and therefore were quite helpful.

15). What advice would you give to Missoula residents looking to install a similar system?  
Consider the house more than the pocket book when deciding to remove the gas line. Gas furnaces keep being the go-to heat system because gas is so cheap. Until this changes it is hard to justify converting when you just are thinking about dollars. The environment trumps the dollar in our minds.

16). Is there anything else you'd like to add? 
I just wanted to add a few points. One, even after we placed the solar panels, we still pay service fees to Northwestern Energy (about 4 dollars/month but will probably get increased in the future). Another point is that we are tied to the grid and there is still a net metering program in place. If Northwestern Energy eliminates the net metering credit (something they have tried to do every year), then we would not receive the credit obtained in the sunnier months to help us pay for the winter, less sunnier months. Keeping net metering credit is essential for solar panel cost pay back.  One more point is that switching to radiant floor heat surprised me in that it kept the house so much more comfortable, even keeping the thermostat at 66 degrees in the winter, not drafty like forced air heat.   Just my two cents worth! 

Key Community Partners:   Clearwater Credit Union, Missoula Housing Authority, and MMW Architects