FAQs. |
All-Electric New Construction: What, Why, and How
Electrify now! The best time to electrify buildings is at the time of construction. All-electric new development benefits the community, the environment, and your budget.
Q: What is Building Electrification?
A: Building Electrification is the process of replacing technologies that run on fossil fuels to those that use electricity generated from increasingly cleaner sources of energy. Most buildings in Missoula use methane gas or propane to power furnaces, boilers, water heaters, and other building appliances. This reliance on fossil fuels makes buildings our community’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing emissions from the building sector is critical to decarbonizing the economy and, ultimately, mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Q: Are there other benefits to electrifying buildings?
A: Yes!
Q: What technology is involved in building electrification?
A: Cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) for space heating and heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are the primary enabling technologies of electrification. Fully electrified homes also have heat pump laundry systems, electric stoves for cooking, and EV charging capabilities. These readily available efficient technologies are becoming more widely adopted by industry professionals and sought-after by consumers. Electric resistance heating (baseboard heating) is inefficient and should not be considered a viable electric alternative.
Q: Do heat pumps work in colder climates?
A: Yes! A misconception persists that heat pumps will fail in extreme cold. A recent RMI report found that cold-climate heat pumps, or variable speed heat pumps, can heat homes at temperatures as low as -12 degrees Fahrenheit.
Q: Will electrification increase construction costs?
A: New all-electric buildings are typically less expensive to construct than mixed-fuel buildings due to the omission of gas lines, hookups, and meters.
Q: Will it be more expensive to run buildings on 100% electricity?
A: Today, it depends. In the future, unlikely. High efficiency heat pumps result in consistently lower monthly utility bills compared to electric resistance or propane heating. Today, bills for all-electric buildings may be greater than those that use methane gas systems for space heating, although this is generally not the case for water heating. Methane gas prices are notoriously volatile, and we expect prices to rise in the coming decades. Electricity prices, however, are more stable and expected to stay that way. When combined with a tight building envelope and rooftop solar panels, heat pumps are more economical even in cold-climate buildings.
Q: How about the people who want gas fireplaces and stoves?
A: We get it. Some people are fond of gas fireplaces and stoves, but there are highly efficient, healthier electric alternatives readily available that provide the same quality and a comparable user experience.
Q: How does all-electric new construction support community priorities?
A: All electric new construction supports Missoula’s 100% Clean Electricity by 2030 goal, both the City and County’s carbon neutrality targets, the City and County official growth policies, and the Climate Ready Missoula plan. We won’t achieve these goals without decarbonizing the building sector and accelerating the transition to cleaner energy sources.
A: Building Electrification is the process of replacing technologies that run on fossil fuels to those that use electricity generated from increasingly cleaner sources of energy. Most buildings in Missoula use methane gas or propane to power furnaces, boilers, water heaters, and other building appliances. This reliance on fossil fuels makes buildings our community’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing emissions from the building sector is critical to decarbonizing the economy and, ultimately, mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Q: Are there other benefits to electrifying buildings?
A: Yes!
- Public health, safety, and comfort: heat pumps provide safer, healthier, well-controlled, and consistently comfortable indoor environments. All-electric construction also means avoiding potentially dangerous levels of indoor air pollutants and gas lines prone to undiagnosed leaks.
- More efficient buildings: in our climate, air-source heat pumps are about 33% more efficient on average than traditional technologies.
- More resilient buildings: access to cooling is becoming essential in our warming climate. Heat pumps are capable of both warming and cooling buildings.
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions: a reduction in lifetime greenhouse gas emissions compared to gas, propane, and electric resistance heating.
Q: What technology is involved in building electrification?
A: Cold-climate air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) for space heating and heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are the primary enabling technologies of electrification. Fully electrified homes also have heat pump laundry systems, electric stoves for cooking, and EV charging capabilities. These readily available efficient technologies are becoming more widely adopted by industry professionals and sought-after by consumers. Electric resistance heating (baseboard heating) is inefficient and should not be considered a viable electric alternative.
Q: Do heat pumps work in colder climates?
A: Yes! A misconception persists that heat pumps will fail in extreme cold. A recent RMI report found that cold-climate heat pumps, or variable speed heat pumps, can heat homes at temperatures as low as -12 degrees Fahrenheit.
Q: Will electrification increase construction costs?
A: New all-electric buildings are typically less expensive to construct than mixed-fuel buildings due to the omission of gas lines, hookups, and meters.
Q: Will it be more expensive to run buildings on 100% electricity?
A: Today, it depends. In the future, unlikely. High efficiency heat pumps result in consistently lower monthly utility bills compared to electric resistance or propane heating. Today, bills for all-electric buildings may be greater than those that use methane gas systems for space heating, although this is generally not the case for water heating. Methane gas prices are notoriously volatile, and we expect prices to rise in the coming decades. Electricity prices, however, are more stable and expected to stay that way. When combined with a tight building envelope and rooftop solar panels, heat pumps are more economical even in cold-climate buildings.
Q: How about the people who want gas fireplaces and stoves?
A: We get it. Some people are fond of gas fireplaces and stoves, but there are highly efficient, healthier electric alternatives readily available that provide the same quality and a comparable user experience.
Q: How does all-electric new construction support community priorities?
A: All electric new construction supports Missoula’s 100% Clean Electricity by 2030 goal, both the City and County’s carbon neutrality targets, the City and County official growth policies, and the Climate Ready Missoula plan. We won’t achieve these goals without decarbonizing the building sector and accelerating the transition to cleaner energy sources.
