why electrify?

: join the national movement to decrease fossil-fuel use in buildings

Building electrification has emerged as a key strategy for both reducing climate pollution and addressing serious health risks associated with fossil fuel-burning appliances.

Combustion from fossil-fuel-powered appliances, including HVAC systems, water heaters and gas stoves, can lead to indoor air pollution levels that exceed EPA’s legal limits for outdoor air pollution – and these appliances are responsible for 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions. 

Fossil-fuel appliances collectively emit double the dangerous nitrogen oxides (NOx) - a potent greenhouse gas and air pollutant - as power plants, and leak methane even when turned off. 

Getting off fossil gas and going electric, alongside transitioning to renewable electricity sources, is a critical pathway to reach urgent climate targets and protect public health. Around the country, communities are moving toward all-electric buildings and we are part of this movement.

The Movement to "Electrify Everything"

Campaigns to "electrify everything" - from buildings and transportation to energy production and industry - are ramping up across the country and world. With the global energy demand projected to increase by nearly 50% over the next thirty years, the urgency to transition away from burning fossil fuels is greater than ever. And, we can meet our increasing energy needs with clean electricity!

Although our electric supply is still powered by fossil fuels to varying degrees (in Montana, NorthWestern Energy’s electric supply is  ~ 65% clean, Missoula Electric Co-op’s is ~95%), there are amazing opportunities to bring in more renewable energy and "green the grid."  (Go solar!) 
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​The movement is "charged" (sorry, we couldn't help it) by political and cultural shifts, government action at all levels, and change set forth by cross-sector voices pushing for an all-electric clean energy future.

Here are some of national voices: ​

• Rewiring America - a "realistic and feasible" roadmap to electrifying everything
• RMI's Building Electrification and Decarbonization Team - great information and research on the importance of electrification as it relates to climate, health, and community resiliency
• Electrify Now - making a clean energy future accessible for everyone
• The Environment and Energy Study Institute - on the benefits of electrification
• Beneficial Electrification League - a holistic approach to electrifying end-uses, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and building a more resilient grid. 

The Electrify Movement

The Health Connection

The Local Connection

Right now, Missoula's methane gas-reliant building sector accounts for a significant portion of our community's greenhouse gas emissions, contributes to climate change, and disproportionately impacts the health of residents. 
​According to a 2019 emissions inventory, ~23% of local community emissions (residential, commercial and industrial) come from methane gas.​

Beyond: How electrifying everything fits into the larger picture

​Electrification is part of a larger effort to decarbonize the built environment and to rethink how we get from place to place (aka electric vehicles are one solution, but we still need to invest in multimodal transportation options). The same thinking goes same as we move to green the grid and think about more sustainable building materials.

Become part of the larger movement by learning more about Missoula's Building(s) for the Future program, Climate Ready Missoula, and Climate Smart Missoula's work. ​