LINCOLN GREEN ENERGY
The website of the Lincoln, MA Green Energy Committee
Develop Your Roadmap to a Fossil Fuel Free Home
Contribute to our Commonwealth’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2030 (from 1990 levels) by making and executing a plan to transition from fossil fuels to clean electricity to power your household.
“On the track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the steepest emissions reductions are set to occur between 2025 and 2030. That’s when the most action needs to be happening,” said Katherine Antos, undersecretary of decarbonization and resilience at the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Ready to develop a plan for transitioning away from fossil fuels? If so, but you would like help from the outset, contact the Lincoln Green Coaches. If you’d like to work on your own, here are two excellent pathways:
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Rewiring America has a great online personal electrification planner that quickly walks you through the process of developing a plan. It doesn’t provide the rich background information that the other option does, but it gets you to a reasonable plan very quickly.
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Electrify Arlington, a sister organization to CFREE in Arlington, has excellent materials that will help you prepare a plan. Go to their website and notice three sections that you may want to consult as your project unfolds:
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Contractors: Heat Pumps, Weatherization, Electricians, etc. (provides vetted lists of contractors)
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Financial Resources: Homeowners, Landlords & Everyone (detailed and up-to-date information on ways to finance your projects)
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Air-Source Heat Pumps (great discussion of the most likely type of heat pump one would install)
Then scroll down and click on How to Get Your Home & Vehicles Off Fossil Fuels and then click on How to Make a Plan to Electrify Your Home. This section walks you through the process, providing a wealth of information about expected lifespans of fossil-fuel-burning appliances and discussing the many factors to weigh when debating when to replace them.
In Electrify Arlington’s documents you will sometimes see references to Arlington-specific options, such as contacting Arlington coaches. Please do not follow up on any of these.
One critical thing to remember when developing a plan – weatherization should almost always come first. Steps such as increasing insulation, doing air sealing, or improving windows will yield long-term benefits in comfort and electricity costs. They will often also mean that you can buy smaller and less costly heat pumps.
As you develop your plan, feel free to reach out to the Lincoln Green Coaches, who stand ready to answer questions and provide assistance however they can. LincolnGreenCoach@gmail.com