Electrification: Cold Beers & Hot Showers
July 25, 2018
There’s been a lot of buzz around the new SMUD incentives to convert homes in the Sacramento area from gas to electric appliances. With an offered savings of up to $13,750, you may be wondering what this “electrification” can mean for your home.
While it may be hard to imagine a home without a gas stove and furnace (among other necessities), it has truly become more financially viable for California homes to switch entirely to electric power for their home comfort needs. Let’s take a look at the challenges your family might face in electrifying your home, and how the experts at Brower Mechanical can help.
Cold Beers & Hot Showers
Reaching into the refrigerator for a beverage, you likely aren’t thinking about what all goes in to the process of keeping your drinks cold – you just pop the top and take a sip. Similarly, when you’re in the shower you aren’t thinking about how the water in your shower got so hot, are you? Would knowing that your water heater is powered with electricity instead of gas change how satisfying it is to stand under a steaming hot shower head?
When you switch your gas water heater to a heat pump water heater, you can expect to pay less in operating costs each and every month. And with the SMUD rebate incentives, you can receive a $3,000 rebate when you switch to a heat pump water heater.
Now We’re Cooking — with Electricity!
Looking at the unique case of Tesla’s electric vehicles, they have become more than just an environmentally friendly car – they are a status symbol. Electrification has become the new “cool.”
For some, the emotional attachment to gas powered cars and the roar of an engine are too great to leave behind.
But what about your cooktop? It feels good to hear the “click-click-floom” of a gas stove, but you could be spending more than you need to month after month just to hear that satisfying sound, when you could be cooking with the latest and greatest in kitchen technology.
You will receive up to $2,500 in rebates for upgrading your electrical panel to a 200 amp main electrical panel, and an additional $250 for switching to an electric induction cooktop (up to $2,750). These high tech cooktops provide your kitchen with:
The fastest available heat delivery
A much safer heating surface
Lower operating costs than a gas cooktop
Heat Pumps
When it comes to heating your home in the colder months, a gas powered furnace is in the forefront of most homeowners’ minds. But the ductwork that comes with a traditional gas furnace can have leaks and other inefficiencies that make heating your whole home evenly a costly battle. But when you switch to the targeted heating that a mini split heat pump provides, you gain greater control over how comfortable your home is, year round.
Mini-split systems, also known as ductless heat pump systems, do not require ductwork. Instead, one or more mini-split units are installed inside the home and provide focused heating and cooling to particular rooms or areas. They are considered one of the most efficient HVAC solutions available today.
When you convert your home from a gas furnace to any kind of heat pump — including mini split heat pumps — you can qualify for $2,500 in rebates.
Solar Energy
As you rely more on your electric appliances, powering them apart from the power grid is the most effective way to protect your wallet from the fluctuating cost of electricity. A great way to save even more cash over time is to power your home with a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. With solar installation from Brower Mechanical, you can use your system to supplement all of your home’s electricity needs, or dedicate your solar energy to powering your water heater or pool.
Electrify Your Home With Brower Mechanical
With over three decades of experience in bringing energy efficiency and greater home comfort to Sacramento, Elk Grove, Galt, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Roseville, Rocklin, Auburn, Davis, Yuba City, and Granite Bay, we have learned that each of our customers deserves a unique and singular focus. If you are looking to get the most out of the SMUD Electrification incentives, our experts will get you paired with the right program to receive the maximum rebate possible.
