Electric homes and buildings are better for our health, safety and the climate.
Using gas for heating and cooking in our homes and buildings causes pollution that’s harmful to our health and the climate. The solution? Switching to appliances that run on Washington’s clean electricity. Electric heat pumps provide both heating and cooling, and are highly efficient so you can save money on energy bills. Going electric in Washington will create jobs for years to come. Support from utilities and state and local governments is necessary to ensure everyone can make the switch.
We’re plugging into Washington’s growing clean electricity to address climate and air pollution from burning natural gas — a fossil fuel primarily made of methane — in our homes, schools and businesses.
Going electric is a win for the climate
In Washington state, homes and other buildings are our single fastest-growing source of carbon pollution, up 50 percent since 1990. That’s because we still burn gas in our furnaces, water heaters, stoves and dryers. Fortunately, we don’t have to rely on fossil fuels like gas. Clean, efficient electric solutions are already available today — powered by electricity that will be 100% clean statewide by 2045, and is still very clean now.
Going electric makes
communities healthier and safer
Electric appliances emit less pollution, and are far safer and healthier than gas. They are clean and don’t emit harmful substances like nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter found after burning gas. Washingtonians deserve safe and healthy places to live, work and learn.
(Photo of family at top left: Kenneth Kelly, NREL)
Gas is the past. But Washington can, and will, do better
Gas is harmful across its entire lifecycle: From extraction at oil and gas wells, to transport through pipelines, to burning it in power plants and buildings. Each step of this journey releases methane — a potent greenhouse gas — and other harmful gases into our atmosphere, puts us at constant risk of gas leaks, explosions and fires, and increases risk of developing respiratory and heart diseases. Going electric is clean, safe and getting more affordable every day, so why continue burning gas in buildings?
“Getting off natural gas might sound hard, but it is both doable and affordable. Electric heat pumps can do the job of gas furnaces and water heaters much more efficiently and without costly gas infrastructure… Let’s take this step together to protect our families and our economy from the more devastating summers.”
– Greg Romaniuk, senior mechanical engineer at McKinstry in Pasco, WA (Tri-City Herald)