Why Electrify

why go electric?

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

First. What do we mean by "electrify"?

Let's start by looking at our buildings. The systems and appliances we use to heat, cool, cook, do laundry, regulate water temperature - they're often either fueled by electricity or methane (aka "natural") gas.

The movement to "Electrify Everything" seeks to replace methane-gas-powered and fossil-fuel-powered systems and appliances with electric ones. (Learn what to electrify.)

Okay, so why do we need to address "natural" gas?

While mixes vary, natural gas is typically comprised of over 85% methane. And, in the short term, methane gas actually has a higher warming potential that CO2!

Informational graphic of Typical Make Up of Natural Gas with a chart that shows methane makes up over 85%, ethane around 7%, and propane, nitrogen and CO2 making up most of the remainder. A warning next to the chart shows the warming potential of methane is 80 times greater than that of CO2 for 20 years after it is released.

Natural gas composition data sourced from: Mezni, Malek. (2015). LPG Recovery Unit Optimization. researchgate.net/publication/317840680_LPG_Recovery_Unit_Optimization. Comparative methane impact from UN Environmental Programme.

Why does methane matter for the environment & our health?

Methane's lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than CO2, but it is more efficient at trapping radiation. Molecule for molecule, the comparative impact of methane is 80 times greater than CO2 for 20 years after it's released.1

Studies over the past decade have shown that:

Methane gas leaks at all stages, from drilling to end use.
This methane is dangerous to breathe. (See our Health page.)
We must significantly reduce the amount of methane in our atmosphere to meet climate goals.

Methane gas is, simply put, a pollutant with significant global warming potential. It must be addressed and a great place to start is by removing it from our buildings.

Informational graphic that asks the question Is methane a fossil fuel? The answer is that we often include methane when we say we must transition away from

The Local Movement

Electrification fits into many local efforts to address climate change and build resiliency:

CLIMATE READY MISSOULA

Climate Ready Missoula is a collaborative plan to build a healthy, just, resilient Missoula County that is adapted to climate stressors here and coming. The plan seeks to improve the built environment so that residents and businesses have clean indoor air, are not "energy burdened" (meaning paying too much for energy), and can stay comfortable in winter and summer.

As we learn more about the health risks from methane gas appliances and as we prepare for hotter and smokier summers, we know that an "electrified" Missoula is a more resilient Missoula.

Learn more about how our Electrify campaign supports a number of Climate Ready Missoula's goals & strategies by reading the plan.

MISSOULA'S 100% CLEAN ELECTRICITY RESOLUTION

In 2019, Missoula County Commissioners and the Missoula City Council adopted a joint resolution that establishes the goal of 100% clean electricity for the Missoula urban area by 2030. To meet this goal, we’re working to simultaneously “green our grid” (iow, replace electricity generated from polluting sources with clean electricity).

Coupled with simultaneous efforts to electrify buildings, transportation, and parts of heavy industry, this clean electricity resolution can eventually drive reductions in Missoula's greenhouse gas emissions, providing a real opportunity to reduce our contribution to climate change and to build a just and thriving clean-energy economy and healthy community.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT GHG REDUCTION GOALS

Both the City of Missoula and Missoula County have goals of carbon neutrality for internal government operations. The City has a plan to be carbon neutral for municipal operations by 2025; the County by 2035.

COMMUNITY CLIMATE SMART ACTION PLAN AND GOAL

The Community Climate Smart Action plan was crafted by community stakeholders and endorsed by the late Mayor Engen. Electrify Missoula supports a number of the goals and strategies within this plan, especially the goal of carbon neutrality for the Missoula area by 2050.

Graphic of a house with all electric heating, electric appliances, solar panels, an electric vehicle and an e.v. charging station in the garage.

23% of Missoula's emissions come from methane gas use in buildings. We can reduce those emissions today by electrifying!

The Electrify Movement

Campaigns to "electrify everything" are ramping up across the world. With global energy demand projected to increase by nearly 50% over the next 30 years, the urgency to transition away from burning pollutants is greater than ever. 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!)

Take A Deeper Dive

NATIONAL VOICES

Here are some of conversations happening nationally:

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.

WEBINARS

Electrify Now's 5-part Webinar Series:

Climate Smart Missoula:

Solar & Electrification: How to get started

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 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.