New Mexico U.S. Sen. Heinrich pushes to electrify American homes, move away from fossil fuel

To combat climate change brought on by air pollution, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) continued to rally support for electrifying homes and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S.

Heinrich introduced the Zero Emissions Homes Act earlier this year to provide tax rebates for electric appliances in single- and multi-family homes.

During a recent congressional hearing before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, Heinrich, who served as vice chairman, argued fossil fuel burning in households is often overshadowed by the transportation sector, which most credit with air polluting emissions.

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“The fact is that if we ever want to address our contributions to our climate problem, we need to find sustainable and cost-effective substitutes for all the machines we use today that burn fossil fuels,” Heinrich said during his testimony.

“And it’s not just our gas-powered cars and trucks. We are also burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon pollution from our hot water heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers, ovens, and stoves.”

He contended that burning fossil fuels like natural gas in homes not only threatens the environment but can also be detrimental to the health of residents, causing them to breathe in pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.

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“But the good news is that there are already better electric alternatives for each of these fossil-burning machines in our homes,” Heinrich said. “Each of these electric substitutes can help reduce our climate pollution and create savings on our energy bills.

“These new electric appliances will be much more efficient than the fossil fuel-powered machines they are replacing. And that means significant savings for these families on their monthly utility bills.”

The Zero Emissions Homes Act was introduced in July and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Supporters of the effort argued American homes were a larger source of greenhouse gas emissions using appliances that burn fossil fuels like natural gas.

A recent report from electrification advocacy group Rewiring America showed New Mexicans could also save millions by converting to electrical appliances.

“We don’t need to wait on any moonshot technology: it all already exists. We don’t need to ask Americans to sacrifice or change their lifestyles to survive,” said Rewiring American Chief Executive Officer Ari Matusiak during the hearing. "We can define our climate strategy in a way that benefits every American directly and immediately.”

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The report showed 57 percent of households in New Mexico could save $131 million per year on energy bills if modern, electrified furnaces and water heaters replaced traditional machines.

Southeast New Mexico would stand to save the most, the report read, with Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties potentially saving up to 80 percent on electricity bills if home appliances were converted.

“Furnaces, water heaters, dryers, and stoves account for at least 95% of residential building emissions but are replaced just once every 10-25 years,” the report read. “Unless we choose modern, electrified replacements for these machines, we will continue to need dirty infrastructure to power our homes, never getting to zero emissions.”

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In New Mexico, the report argued electrification would create 1,500 installation jobs along with 80,000 manufacturing jobs in the state.

It could utilize renewable energy sources like wind and solar, Heinrich said, to further reduce carbon emissions in-step with President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda.

“And, importantly for our climate, all of these electrified machines can be powered by all the new clean and carbon pollution-free electricity that we will generate in our new clean energy economy,” he said in his testimony. “This is how we can power our long-term economic recovery and save families money by solving our pressing climate challenge.

“This is how we can build back better.”

Donnel Baird, CEO of BlocPower, an electrification company, said during his testimony that major companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google all recently began pursuing electrification of their buildings and states New Mexico could capitalize on this growing industry.

“The markets have spoken, the private sector has spoken, and endorsed better building electrification technology,” Baird said. “Billions of dollars a year in health savings, billions more in disposable income families save on energy bills and spend in local communities, or save towards a more secure future.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-618-7631, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.