Becoming an Electric Coach in Montana
I'm excited to be participating in Rewiring America's Electric Coaches training and wanted to write a quick blog about my experience so far. I'm impressed with this course and with what Rewiring America is doing in general.
The Electric Coaches program is a four-week online training that's described as "an immersive, cohort-based learning experience for individuals ... who are ready to help their peers and communities go electric."
The course covers the carbon-cutting and other benefits of heat pumps and other efficient electric appliances like induction stoves, as well as energy audits and weatherization and how it all ties together with the IRA rebates, which incentivize homeowners to go electric and reduce their home energy use.
Rewiring America has been doing this for a couple years (I think I'm in the seventh cohort). There are about 200 participants from all around the country with a variety of backgrounds, including local government officials and ordinary folks who want to help their communities with electrification. If this interests you, I'd encourage you to check it out!
One of the main ideas driving the electrification movement is that the electric grid is getting "greener" each year as new solar, wind and other low-carbon sources come online. By switching to efficient electric appliances, you not only immediately reduce your energy use (especially if you start with a home energy audit and weatherization), but also share in long-term carbon reductions by not using fossil fuels and running your home with the greening grid.
I applied to take the course because a lot of people interested in home energy audits these days are motivated by home electrification. I wanted to learn more about their perspective and get an overview of how energy auditing fits into the process. I'm glad I did!
The first session included a great overview of home energy audits and weatherization. Energy auditing can feel a bit stale sometimes, as houses haven't changed radically in the past 100 years and we see a lot of the same issues over and over. But this course puts energy auditing in the context of electrification and gets people excited about it.
Part of our discussion was about the "Ideal Electrification Path" for a home, broken into three steps:
The first step is to get a baseline of home energy performance, and getting a home energy audit is highlighted as a central part of this.
The next step is to increase home performance and reduce load through weatherization (such as air sealing and insulating the attic) and upgrading existing electrical appliances with efficient replacements (such as replacing an electric resistance water heater with a heat pump model). This means you don't have to worry about new wiring or electric panel issues.
The third step, which it seems like people often jump to first, is adding new electric loads and green power: i.e. replacing a gas furnace with a heat pump and getting an EV and solar panels.
This was a good sanity check for me and gives me more confidence saying that a home energy audit is a great starting point for home improvement, including if your motivation is cutting carbon and going electric.
Electrification consultations are something I've offered before this course, but I'm looking forward to continuing to hone my skills and understanding, as well as meeting great people and being inspired by their work around the country.
