Why Electrify?

The transition to all-electric heating and cooling has many benefits:

Heat Pumps Provide Air Conditioning

Approximately 30% of Denver homes do not have air conditioning. This is most true in older homes and most homes in low-income communities. As temperatures rise, more residents will need air conditioning to stay healthy and safe.
Heat pumps provide both heating and cooling. So when Denverites install heat pumps, they also get a way to stay cool in the summer.
This is especially important as air pollution gets worse. Disasters like wild fires are becoming more frequent as the effects of climate change get more intense. Opening windows and using swamp coolers are becoming less healthy options. Having an air conditioning system like a heat pump is a great alternative.

In 30% of low-income homes in Denver today, gas equipment fails carbon monoxide tests. This contrasts to less than 5% of market rate homes.
People who live in homes that rely on gas appliances are much more likely to get respiratory disease. They are almost three times more likely to have asthma than people who live in homes with electric appliances.

Methane is the primary component of natural gas. When we use gas in our homes, the appliances release some of the methane.
Methane has an 80 times greater impact on climate change than carbon dioxide. A new report from the UN states that reducing methane emissions is critical:
- As the grid moves to 100% renewable power, electric heating and cooling will reduce emissions. Xcel Energy plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the electric grid by 80% by 2030.
- Today, replacing gas appliances with heat pumps will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Fossil gas burned to heat our homes and buildings results in 24% of Denver’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- 97% of gas is used for space and water heat in homes and buildings.

When a gas appliance fails, homeowners can replace it with an electric alternative at a similar cost. This includes both installation and operation.
Heat pumps will have a lower monthly bill than a traditional A/C system. This is because they are so much more efficient.
As technology continues to advance, heat pumps will become more cost competitive.
Heat pumps help homes move towards stable long-term utility costs. This is because electricity prices are more stable than gas prices in both the short and long term.

Heat pumps have been used since the 1800s in American refrigerators. They have been used for decades to heat homes and buildings in Asia and Europe
Many people worry that their heat pump will not work when the power goes out. However, gas furnaces use an electric starter to ignite. They also need an electric fan to move heat through the home. So they also do not work when the electricity goes out.
Cold climate heat pumps work even when it is as cold as -17 degrees Fahrenheit.