Five Ukiah homeowners and the developers of Acorn Valley Plaza, Ukiah’s new 72-unit apartment complex on Gobbi Street, share a deep conviction that transitioning to all-electric homes and transportation is the way to slash energy bills as well as the emissions that cause climate change.
During Ukiah’s first Electric Homes Tour on Saturday, April 26, from 1-4 p.m., these homeowners and Acorn will open their doors and share what they’ve done. The self-guided tour is co-sponsored by the city of Ukiah Electric Utility and Climate Action Mendocino.
“These homes are all or mostly electric, and because most of them have solar panels that power appliances and vehicles, monthly utility and transportation costs are minimal,” said Eileen Mitro, president of Climate Action Mendocino. “If you’re interested in an electric home and want to learn from people who have been in the trenches, this is the event for you.”
Registrants will receive a tour map and can design their own route to see homes outfitted with solar, back-up batteries, induction stovetops and convection ovens, heat pump water heaters, mini-split heating and air conditioning systems (HVAC), efficient washer/dryers and EV charging stations.
On the prowl, Devon Hanover plays in front of the Ephoca HVAC unit in his Acorn Valley Plaza home. Ephoca mini-splits have no outdoor fans (Photo by Suzanne Pletcher)At least one certified installer will join each homeowner on-site to answer questions about current costs, installation, and incentives. And for those who want to see heat pump products, another stop on the tour is AC&R Heating Cooling & Solar in downtown Ukiah.
“I wish that I had had the benefit of an event like this when I was adding solar and electric appliances to my home,” said Dave Redding, whose house just south of Ukiah city limits will be on the tour. “I had to learn on my own, and it can get complicated.”
Electric homes in Ukiah and Mendocino County really do cut emissions because the utilities supplying the county source their electricity from primarily clean energy resources. The city of Ukiah Electric Utility supplies, on average, 70% carbon-free electricity from large hydropower, solar and geothermal from The Geysers. Sonoma Clean Power boasts 88% locally-generated electricity from geothermal, wind, solar and hydropower, and customers can opt for Evergreen electricity from 100% locally-generated renewables. PG&E provides 40% of electricity from renewable geothermal, solar and wind plus another 55% from large hydropower and non-emitting nuclear.
Mike Cannon, another host on the tour, said that – over the past 20 years – when his gas appliances needed replacement, he purchased modern electric ones. He added solar, a used electric vehicle and home charging station. Last year he disconnected his home from gas completely.
“Today’s electric products are a completely different technology than the old ones. They are absolutely the way to go,” Cannon said. Jonathan McChesney of Radiant Solar Technology will be at Cannon’s house to answer questions about solar, and Ronnie Dodd and Justin Foster of All In Heating and Cooling will walk people through mini-split HVAC technology and installation.
Eric Crawford is opening his Rogina Heights house for the tour. He installed the solar and backup battery system himself with the aim of reducing his utility bills. Jim Purcell of Pardini Appliances will be at his house to answer electric appliance questions.
Peggy Backup, who bought her central Ukiah home in foreclosure and discovered all the appliances had been ripped out, including the heater, started the journey to all-electric from scratch. She is proud of her smart electric panel, which allows her to monitor and change her electrical usage with her iPhone.
Within walking distance of Backup’s house, Joyce Paterson said she and her husband, Steve Zuieback, were passionate about lowering their carbon footprint and years ago began the process of upgrading their older home to modern, solar-powered all-electric. She has switched to heat pump HVAC, drives an electric car that she charges off the solar system, and just recently switched her gas stove to induction.
Cindy Sauers, director of the city of Ukiah Electric Utility, emphasized that the energy efficiency of modern electric appliances helps customers cut costs.
“As our Ukiah utility becomes greener and greener, and as we deal with wildfire risk and all the things that the utility industry is facing, our costs are going up. That’s just the reality of it,” she said. “The energy efficiency of a modern all-electric home gives a customer a tremendous amount of power over electric bills.”
Ukiah offers rebates to its electric utility customers to help offset the cost of energy efficiency upgrades, including $500 for a heat pump water heater and another $150-$500 for heat pump HVAC. These are in addition to state and federal tax credits and rebates.
“I don’t want to just focus on cost, though,” said Sauers, “because the reality is also that as utilities become greener, natural gas is going to go away. As a result, customers with all-electric homes are going to be that much farther ahead – and they hasten the transition of our community and our state from fossil fuels to clean energy.”
Since 85% of a home’s emissions are from heating, cooling, and water heating, California has prioritized mass adoption of heat pumps as a key strategy in achieving its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. According to media reports, one in five HVAC units sold annually in the state are heat pumps, or about 1 million. But many people still aren’t aware of the appliances’ benefits, and some contractors aren’t prioritizing them. The state is focused upon building awareness, training more contractors and publicizing tax credits, rebates and other incentives.
“It’s something that we’re educating our customers about every chance that we can get because of the efficiency of heat pumps, rebates that are available and the rising cost of gas. It makes sense to consider it,” said Seb Strzelecki, general manager at AC&R, which specializes in heat pumps. Strzelecki said sales are growing, particularly on the Mendocino coast.
“Overall, though, it’s about education,” he said. “Some people aren’t even aware of what a heat pump is or how energy efficient these appliances are and how they can help lower costs.”
Danco Group, the developer of all-electric Acorn Valley Plaza, is plenty aware of the energy efficiency and climate advantages of heat pumps. The company has paired heat pumps with solar electricity as standard practice in its net zero energy projects – including Acorn – for years.
Tour registrants will gaze three stories up to the rooftops of each apartment block at Acorn and notice they’re blanketed with solar panels. They’ll see an innovative heat pump HVAC unit and heat pump water heater in an apartment.
“It helps us minimize carbon emissions from our projects, keep tenant costs low, and contribute to the well-being of our community,” said Property Manager Heather Reyes.
Register for the Electric Homes Tour at climateactionmendocino.org/events.
Registrants will receive a tour map with addresses and icons depicting what appliances and installers will be at each stop. A glossary of appliance terms and website links for information, tax credits, rebates and incentives will be included with the tour map.
Solar and electric appliance installers participating in the tour and not already mentioned are: Fernando Arcilas, Ultra Air HVAC; Jim Apperson (retired), Apperson Energy Management; Laurent Richard, AC&R; Pete Gregson, Advance: Solar, Hydro, Wind Power Inc.; and Rod DeWitt, American Refrigeration Services.
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