The New York Homeowner's Guide to Whole-Home Electrification
Home electrification is a hot topic these days as homeowners look for ways to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and save on energy costs.
Halco has been upgrading homes in the Finger Lakes since 1984 and is the most experienced electrification company in the region. We are a home energy specialist with mechanical, plumbing, and electrical expertise, so you can get everything you need to electrify your home from one, trusted company.
What Is Home Electrification?
Home electrification is the process of replacing all gas and oil appliances with electric alternatives. Modern electric appliances are more energy efficient than their outdated gas and oil counterparts, which means they use less energy and are better for the environment. Switching to electric appliances eliminates your gas and oil bills and significantly reduces your reliance on fossil fuels. Electric appliances can also be powered by clean energy sources, like solar panels, which can eliminate fossil fuel usage and energy costs entirely.
How to Electrify Your Home
There are many paths toward an all-electric home. You can slowly swap out your gas appliances for electric alternatives as they deteriorate, or you can transition all of your appliances at once. Halco can help you map out a home electrification plan tailored to your electrification goals, preferences, and budget.
Most home electrification projects include the following steps:
Step One: Home Energy Assessment
An energy assessment is a great first step in your home electrification journey. An energy assessment from Halco will give you detailed information about your home’s energy usage so you can determine which electrification upgrades will have the greatest impact and create a priority list.
Step Two: Insulate & Air Seal
Insulating and air sealing your house help prepare it for electrification by reducing the amount of energy it consumes. Properly insulated houses use less energy for heating and air conditioning, which means you’ll be able to install a smaller and more affordable all-electric heating and cooling system.
Step Three: Replace Gas Appliances
To achieve an all-electric home, you will need to replace all of your combustion appliances with all-electric appliances.
- Furnace or boiler → air source heat pump or geothermal heat pump
- Water heater → heat pump water heater
- Gas range → induction range
- Gas clothes dryer → heat pump clothes dryer
Switching to all-electric appliances has many benefits that go beyond energy efficiency. Electric appliances are also safer and healthier than their gas alternatives because they eliminate the risk of both gas and carbon monoxide leaks. In an all-electric home, your family will breathe cleaner, healthier air.
Step Four: Install Solar Panels
Once you have fully electrified your home, you’ll be able to run all of your appliances on solar power. Halco can design a custom solar energy system that’s sized to meet your electricity needs so you can produce most or all of your own electricity, reducing your reliance on the grid and saving money on your electric bills.
Home Electrification & Appliance Rebates
There are rebates and incentives available to help you make electrification upgrades to your home!
Energy Efficiency Home Improvements Tax Credit
You can receive a 30% federal tax credit for qualifying energy efficiency and electrification projects including insulation, air sealing, electrical panel upgrades, heat pumps, and more. There is a $1,200 annual limit and an additional $2,000 annual limit for heat pumps. This credit can be claimed multiple years in a row, so you can space out upgrades and claim savings on every project.
Federal Solar Tax Credit
The federal solar tax credit is worth 30% of your solar panel installation costs, with no maximum. The tax credit covers both solar panels and solar battery storage.
Electrify Your Home with Halco
You don’t have to follow an exact plan when switching to an all-electric home and you don’t have to electrify everything all at once! Halco can help you decide what upgrades make the most sense for your home and prioritize them in order of importance.
At Halco, our work and reviews speak for themselves. We have decades of experience serving homeowners in Ithica and throughout the Finger Lakes and we are committed to providing the best experience for every homeowner we work with. Our team makes the home electrification process straightforward and attainable so you can enjoy the many benefits of an all-electric home.
