APC Green + Rooftop Solar + ASHP + EV = Decarb

User: fcummings@gmail.com

Vendor: EnergySage

Action: 2141 - Choose 100% Green Electricity

APC Green is a key part of our decarbonization process, along with solar & electrification. Here’s a more detailed description for those who have questions. We asked the builder of our free-standing condo unit to install an air-source heat pump in 2019 (as mentioned in another testimonial). He reluctantly installed a central or hybrid heat pump integrated with a gas furnace (reluctant because he was unfamiliar) -- not a “cold-climate” model but an American Standard “Gold 17” model with a relatively poor “heating season performance factor” (HSPF) of 8.50, but the gas backup is rarely needed. We also charge an EV at home, so we no longer buy gasoline. In 2022, these two electrification measures increased our electricity usage by 83% (from 9,800 kWh to 18,000 kWh/year). But we also installed rooftop solar PV which generates more electricity (11,000 kWh) than the electrification requires. For the electricity we still need from the grid, we opted up to ActonPowerChoice.com Green which consists of 100% renewables (“MA Class I” to make sure it has an impact). All this has been worth doing but of course to really make a difference we need more ambitious public policies to help decarbonize everything, and fast -- so keep talking with everyone about climate voting and advocacy, as well as individual actions!