The Myth of the All-Electric, Renewables Home By James Reed
The Greens and general climate change fanatics are dedicated to seeing an all-electric society, the electric coming entirely from renewables. The implausibility of this happening in a non-nuclear future, has been shown in many blog posts here. However, California, which prides itself in the pursuit of all things woke, and seeks to be at the forefront of the great environmental experiment, will be a test case, as the state has now mandated that all new homes built, beginning in 2030, must be all-electric. Goodbye natural gas ovens and heating. Other US states who are in the woke parade will follow suit.
The problem here is that this will inevitably fail. For a start, there is simply not enough electricity to do this, with electric resources already under stress in California, and this is before the demand increases exponentially. The facts and figures for those interested are detailed below. Worse of all, natural disasters, such as flood and fire, that occur regularly in California, let alone predicted earthquakes, could substantially damage the electric infrastructure, and without fossil fuel backups, which will presumably become illegal, people could face either freezing conditions in winter, or blistering heat in summer, with no energy relief. The aged and sick will suffer. Again, it is all another crazy Leftist environmentalist idea, leading us down the road to poverty and misery.
“California has mandated that all new homes built are to be all-electric, and starting in 2030, all new home appliances will be electric. I expect that Washington will soon follow California's lead of all-electric homes and appliances. In addition, Washington has mandated that fifty percent of new automobiles are to be electric. Sacramento and Washington Democrats possess the power to enact these mandates but cannot, with a pen stroke, rebuild America's electrical grid.
American families have met their energy needs for over a hundred years with electricity, gas, and gasoline. Now families are being forced to depend solely on electric utilities to turn on their lights, cook meals, heat their homes, and fuel their automobiles. That is a true dream for climate activists but a nightmare in today's world of rolling blackouts.
What happens when a natural disaster destroys a region's electrical infrastructure? Restoring electricity to a community can take weeks to months. During this time, families will be left cold and hungry in a dark house and unable to drive to safety.
There is more to an all-electric home than just more electrical outlets. A typical twelve-hundred–sq. ft. home with gas heat, stove, and water heater needs a 100-amp electrical service. That same home but with electric heat, stove, and water heater will need a 200-amp service. An level-two electrical vehicle charging station (there are levels: one is too slow, two is just right for most drivers, and three is too much) will need an additional 50 to 100 amps — therefore, a 200- to 300-amp service.
The cost increase for a new twelve-hundred-square-foot home with a 200-amp in lieu of a 100-amp electrical service would be approximately $6,500, and eliminating the gas piping would save approximately $2,500. However, modifying a mixed-energy home to an all-electric would cost approximately $15,000.
Washington Democrats can enact laws that require all-electric homes and automobiles, but they cannot counter the laws of physics, specifically Ohm's Law, the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance. When the current increases (increased demand by all-electric homes) and voltage remains the same, the resistance increases, limiting the amount of electricity that can pass through the electrical grid. Neighborhood electrical grids will need to be upgraded for all-electric homes.
The electrical grid must be designed and built in new single-family subdivisions to support all-electric homes. The number of electrical transformers per home will increase, from one 50 KVA transformer per four homes to one 50 KVA transformer per two homes. We expect that the electrical upgrades will cost approximately between $5,000 and $7,500 per home, which will be partially offset by eliminating the natural gas distribution system.
Manufactured Homes and Parks (MHP) are affordable housing for financially struggling families in rural America. Yet our political leaders in Washington ignore those struggling families when they regulate the M.H. industry (FHA regulates M.H. construction) without considering the impact on the families attempting to connect to the local utility companies.
Washington is encouraging all-electric M.H.; almost half the 100,000 M.H. built yearly are all-electric (200-amp service). But many current states (including New Mexico) have construction regulations that do not support all-electric MHP. For example, in an existing MHP in New Mexico, ten M.H. (electric and gas heat, stove, and water heater) are (by building code) allowed to be connected to one 200-amp service. Then an all-electric M.H. needing a 200-amp service was moved into the MHP. Now what?
The new MHP will need an electrical grid to support all-electric MH, thus raising rates for those families that can least afford it. The existing MHP may be unable to afford the electrical grid upgrade and be forced to close. I expect any MHP that closes will not be replaced. In Albuquerque, a 200-plus MHP was replaced with expensive homes and apartments with little concern for the residents. Now Albuquerque struggles with affordable housing.
We will soon have families with all-electric homes without electricity and families without affordable homes. It is time for families to take back their power.”
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