No doubt a lot of you have either done it
or were tempted to do so over the past
week or so, turning up the thermostat
and letting the heat kick on.
And as we just saw, three out of
four of you are doing it with oil,
propane or kerosene,
fuels that are still much more
expensive than they were last year.
Keith Carson is here now to show us
just how much we rely on fossil fuels
to heat our homes and how the state is
trying to get us to go a different way.
Keith. Yeah. Pat. Mainers have
been heating their homes with oil.
For about a century,
and with kerosene for a lot longer for many,
using anything else will be
a tough habit to break.
And so far, high efficiency heat pumps
seem to be the best way to keep our
homes and businesses warm in the winter
and cool in the summer while helping
to moderate mains changing climate.
I've done several
stories on electric vehicles
over the past year or so.
It's explaining how they help
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But that's just one way.
Keeping our homes heated and cooled in Maine
is another major source of emissions.
Who were kidding?
It's mostly about the heating.
While 54% of greenhouse gas emissions
in Maine come from transportation,
making it the biggest
contributor, residential
heating and cooling comes in second at 19%.
According to a study by the
University of Michigan,
Maine has the highest average in
the whole country for something
called household energy intensity.
What is energy intensity?
Researchers defined it as the amount of
energy used per square meter of a dwelling.
The two principal reasons main
tops the list a cold climate,
which leads to a high number
of heating degree days and a
relatively old stock of homes.
While the average number of heating degree
days is declining as the climate warms,
the northern states still topped the list,
so it's no surprise that Vermont and
Wisconsin join us to round out the top
three most energy intensive states.
It's not all bad news, though,
when it comes to household greenhouse
gas intensity carbon output per square
meter main fares a little better.
At first glance,
that's surprising since 60% of
Maine households heat with oil,
the highest percentage in the country.
And oil isn't a very carbon friendly fuel.
But Maine is able to take the edge
off with the relatively low carbon
footprint in its electricity grid.
This is due largely to hydropower from
Canada and wind turbine energy generation.
This means Maine has a unique potential
to reduce carbon emissions per household
by the largest margin in the country.
But how would we get there winterize?
Their homes get more houses to move
from heating oil to electric heat
and use more efficient heat sources.
Winterization hits all
the marks because it reduces
the amount of energy needed to
heat a space, therefore reducing
fuel usage and emissions.
The electrification path
includes mostly replacing
older, less efficient oil
and gas furnaces with air
source heat pumps.
Data from efficiency Maine shows
that a new high performance
electric heat pump has a 60%
lower carbon dioxide emission
compared to oil burners,
even in the coldest areas in Maine.
There's evidence that adding
a supplemental heat pump for the less
extreme days provides a significant
benefit as well as savings.
The savings are an important
part of this equation.
By reducing energy consumption
and increasing heating efficiency,
Mainers will ultimately be saving money.
According to the latest fuel source
comparison on efficiency means website,
air source heat pumps are third cheapest,
behind only wood stoves
and geothermal heat pumps.
The biggest hurdle, of course,
is the upfront cost.
Although efficiency Main
offers substantial rebates,
air source heat pumps typically
cost 4 to $6000 per unit,
and insulation projects run
easily into the thousands.
For many,
the transition to a more efficient,
carbon friendly heating will only
make sense when their current
furnace reaches the end of its
useful life or incentives are high
enough to offset much of the cost.
So the transition from energy intensive
to a more efficient carbon footprint
in Maine could be a long journey,
but it's a worthy 1.
Well,
for those of you
still on the fence when it comes
to heat pumps, consider this.
Just this past weekend,
the Portland Press Herald published
a story about how efficiency Maine
got 10 skeptical owners of mobile
homes all in the same Freeport
development to have their kerosene or
propane heating systems taken out and
replaced with heat pumps for a year.
The study found that even
in sub-zero weather,
the pumps maintained a comfortable
temperature inside even older
mobile homes that didn't have
today's insulation efficiency Main,
says the average mobile home resident.
Could save about 13,000.
Thirteen, $100.
I'm sorry, a year when compared
to using oil and propane.
They also get the benefit guys of
air conditioning in the summer.
And I tell people I knew three people
who have heat pumps without backups.
Me, Todd Gutner and Jess Conley tells
you something about whether or not
we trust them in Maine's climate.
I'd say so. Good point.
Thank you,
Keith.