The petroleum age is unlikely to end with one dramatic crash. It is more likely to enter a volatile decline, with each shock strengthening the case for electrification, and each wave of electrification weakening the future demand that once held the oil system together. The countries, cities, companies, and households that understand this will not wait for the last oil shock to pass. They will build around electricity because electricity is not just cleaner. It is more controllable.
The new year in Sweden began with some record-breaking cold temperatures. Temperatures in the village of Kvikkjokk in the northern Swedish part of Lapland dropped to -43.6°C, the lowest recorded since records began in 1887.
Yet for the majority of Swedish households, heating is not an issue. Those living in the multi-household apartment blocks that characterise Sweden’s towns and cities enjoy average temperatures of 22°C inside their homes, thanks to communal heating systems that keep room temperatures high and costs low. For many households, heating is charged at a flat rate and included in the rent they pay.
Like California, Australia has an enormous amount of solar. The country’s climate-change-and-energy minister just announced that, starting in July, electricity suppliers will be required to offer at least three free hours of midday power in some regions. This will give people a reason to charge their electric vehicles, use heat pumps to precool or preheat their homes and water, and store more clean electricity in batteries when cheap energy is abundant.
“It’s one of the first net-zero energy, zero carbon case study houses that was built for less cost than standard construction,” he says, and the remodel involved “standard construction materials and off-the-shelf technologies that anyone can use.Fortunato’s family ended up with a stylish, contemporary, four-bedroom, two-bath home. While a project like this is not for everyone, Fortunato hopes others will learn from his family’s experience and take on similar projects. In that spirit, here are five lessons from the Green Idea House. Fortunato’s family ended up with a stylish, contemporary, four-bedroom, two-bath home. While a project like this is not for everyone, Fortunato hopes others will learn from his family’s experience and take on similar projects. In that spirit, here are five lessons from the Green Idea House.
August 2, 2025 Check against delivery at the 2 August 2025 Sierra Club’s Buena Vista Group breakfast at Hodels in … Read more
Presentation for Kern County’s Nature Center at Hart Park for delivery Sunday 15 June on our journey to converting our … Read more
We’ve completed our journey to electrification that began shortly after Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in mid 2022. … Read more
Formerly, we heated our home with fossil gas as nearly 50% of American families still do.[1] After powering a conventional … Read more
The state of California is encouraging home electrification through a series of measures providing rebates and technical assistance. One such … Read more
The most problematic part of our electrification journey was installation of the heat pump water heater. We had anticipated it … Read more
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