Climate one looks at smart homes built in a Birmingham Alabama neighborhood. Smart homes are 35% more efficient than standard Alabama homes being built today, according to Alabama Power. A smart community features induction stovetops and heat pump water heaters relies on a micro grid of solar and battery storage for some of its power. The biggest difference is that modular homes are built in a factory which saves energy.
It’s become common for homeowners to install solar panels to provide themselves with emission-free electricity. But increasingly more attention is being paid to decarbonizing things inside the home – the machines that heat and cool water and air, dry our clothes and cook our food. The Inflation Reduction Act includes many ways for homeowners and renters to start to electrify their lives. And in some places, builders are developing highly efficient, all electric homes from the get-go. What more is needed to make our buildings greener and get away from fossil fuels?
Guests:
Mark Chambers, Sr. Director Building Emissions & Community Resilience, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Bruce Nilles, Executive Director, Climate Imperative
Contributing Producer: Cody Short, WBHM
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org
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