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The efficiency increase for all electric appliances except for heat pumps is generally not worth the conversion cost. Gas infrastructure is already in place so
by endisneigh 5y ago
The efficiency increase for all electric appliances except for heat pumps is generally not worth the conversion cost. Gas infrastructure is already in place so the expense is irrelevant.
If what you were saying were true then economic forces would already have led to dominance of full electric without the need for government mandates to begin with.
- drusenko 5y agoThat’s not really true. New high efficiency heat pump water heaters - as one example - often have a 1-2 year ROI, which is pretty dramatic. HVAC is actually often the most expensive from an ROI standpoint because of larger upfront costs. Market forces will lead us down this path eventually but they are not instantaneous, and we don’t have much time to wait. Policy can help 1- accelerate, 2- bootstrap emerging markets (eg creating demand for more induction stoves turns that market from a niche to mainstream, with more competition, more choice, and reduced cost, all of which will serve to boost demand) and 3- finance infrastructure investments that may be beyond reach for many. On gas infrastructure, yes it is in place but it still requires significant ongoing maintenance costs which would be eliminated if it was shut down.