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A great energy audit starts with the right expert

Before you begin your journey toward electrification, you need to find out where your home is losing energy. A skilled energy auditor doesn’t just inspect — they diagnose, prioritize and recommend solutions tailored to your home’s unique needs. Selecting the right person can make all the difference. Ask these questions to help determine whether a

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2 mins read
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Here’s what you need to know before you go all-in on electrifying your home

1. Make a plan! Experts say that before homeowners start installing new electric appliances, they should evaluate some fundamentals. First, is their house properly weatherized? And second, is their electrical system properly wired? After all, even an industry professional like Cora Wyent, the senior director of research at electrification nonprofit Rewiring America, can make mistakes.

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3 mins read
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Purchasing smaller electric appliances, like a leaf blower or hot plate, is a good way to try out newer technologies, especially on a budget

A few years ago, Cora Wyent, senior director of research at electrification nonprofit Rewiring America, and her partner were weighing the purchase of an induction oven to replace the old gas model in their kitchen. Induction ovens run off electricity and, thanks to some fascinating engineering, boast such perks as cooking elements that not only

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2 mins read
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The Electrification Issue

The year is 2050. On every street across the wide expanse of the United States, nearly every vehicle that goes by emits only the quiet whine of an electric motor. A few folks still ride by in antique, gas-powered cars, but in many places such vehicles are greatly outnumbered even by electric bikes. The houses

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1 min read
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A coalition of activists and advocates nudges PECO toward purchasing more renewable energy

In 2020, members of POWER Interfaith, a grassroots social justice organization with a mission to “shine a light on broken systems,” organized to push PECO, Pennsylvania’s largest electric and gas utility, to incorporate long-term contracts for renewable energy into its Default Service Program (DSP). The DSP is essentially the company’s “house special,” and about 75%

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4 mins read
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Electrification advocates answer some frequently asked questions

Founded in 2020, Rewiring America is the nation’s leading nonprofit for helping Americans electrify their homes. Their task is a challenging one. Electrification can be a confusing endeavor, with homeowners often left on their own to figure out what to electrify first, when to do it, how to get started and what financial incentives they’re

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5 mins read
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Looking for a surefire way to cut down on your household’s greenhouse gas emissions? Electric cars and e-bikes are a plug-and-play option

Several times a week, John Boyle, research director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, rides the power of electricity to work. A resident of Edgewater Park, New Jersey, Boyle rides a foldable e-bike to the Beverly Rail Station, which he takes aboard NJ Transit’s River Line to Camden. If the weather is nice, he’ll

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4 mins read
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Former solar installer is committed to retrofitting homes for the working class

A search for real estate under $200,000 in Philadelphia yields mostly fixer-uppers and condominiums. Marc Rowell’s mission with Deep Green Retrofit, launched in 2021, is to develop energy efficient, move-in ready housing for working-class families, putting affordability and sustainability ahead of personal profit. Growing up in public housing in North Philadelphia, Rowell came to believe

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2 mins read