Home Electrification - EmPower Solar

Total Home Electrification
Long Island + NYC

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Electrify your life

Total Electrification Starts Here

Transform your home, become energy resilient, and save.

What is Home Electrification?

Home electrification is the process of transitioning a home from oil or natural gas to appliances and systems run by electricity. Home electrification includes home improvement projects such as installing home solar panels, swapping your fossil fuel-powered furnace for an electric heat pump, and even making the switch from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles. 

The process of electrifying your home can be a multi-step project, though those steps can be reduced or streamlined with proper planning and the right partner. 

Home Electrification How-To

Home Solar Panels + Battery Backup Systems

The first step is evaluating your source of electricity. Investing in a home solar system to power your  upgrades will have the biggest impact on savings.

Adding solar panels to your home helps reduce your electric bills from day one and reduce your reliance on energy from traditional power sources. 

Battery backup systems, like the Tesla Powerwall, enable you to store excess energy produced by your home solar system to be used when you need it most, like overnight, through periods of low solar production, or during outages caused by extreme weather events. 

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Home Battery Backup
Home Electrification How-To

Electric Vehicles + Home EV Chargers

Though not technically a home appliance, the vehicle you drive plays a big part in home electrification. Making the switch to an electric vehicle, or EV, is another high-impact way of electrifying your life. Conventional gasoline-powered vehicles are expensive to fuel and emit harmful pollutants, whereas full electric vehicles (or battery electric vehicles) produce zero tailpipe emissions and can be powered by renewable energy.

Many EV owners chose to install a home charger for greater savings, which can be maximized when paired with solar. With a properly sized solar system, you can charge your EV at home, maximize your savings and spend about $1,000 less annually when compared to fueling a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle.

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A white electric vehicle is being charged at a home charging station.
Home Electrification How-To

Electric Heat Pumps 

A heat pump can reduce your home’s heating and cooling bills each month. The pump works by transferring heat between your home and the environment, enabling you to reduce your reliance on conventional oil or natural gas heating. Since this technology can both heat and cool your home, it eliminates the need for separate systems and allows your home to run more efficiently. 

Using solar with an air source heat pump or geothermal heat pump will help you maximize the benefits of clean, renewable energy and gain control over their energy bills. Thanks to federal, state, and utility incentives, now is the best time to upgrade to an energy-efficient heating and cooling system.

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Air source heat pump
Home Electrification How-To

Other Home Electrification Upgrades

Home electrification doesn’t stop here. Another upgrade to consider is electric cooking range, which is a combination stovetop and oven. A range will operate efficiently and free up space on your electrical panel for other electric appliances. Electric ranges are safer and, when powered by solar, are more environmentally-friendly than natural gas ranges. 

You may also consider replacing your natural gas dryer or inefficient electric clothes dryer with a combination washer/dryer, which uses less energy.

Induction stovetop closeup

How Do Home Electrification Systems Work Together?

While each system will save you money, the best way to optimize your savings is to pair them all together, and adding solar to your home is the first place to start.

Since the cost of solar is fixed, once you buy your panels you will never have to pay for them again. Solar energy will power your backup battery, heat pump, and EV charger without additional fueling oil or natural gas costs associated with traditional systems.

When you go solar with EmPower Solar, our in-house design team will make sure to size your system properly to ensure that any current or future home electrification plans will be powered by the sun.

 

What Does Total Home Electrification Cost?

The total cost of complete home electrification can vary. Typically, a solar array can cost anywhere between $20,000-$40,000 before incentives, depending on your energy needs. There are a number of incentives and rebates that are available to help significantly offset the cost, and EmPower Solar offers three ways to pay for your system: purchasing, financing, or leasing.

The cost of one Tesla Powerwall is $17,600 before incentives. Based on your energy needs, we may recommend installing additional Powerwalls. Luckily, there is a discount for purchasing more than one Powerwall. For more information, please download our battery resource guide.

Geothermal heat pump installation costs vary based on each individual home’s heating and cooling needs. The standard single-family 2,000 sq ft. home requires a pump that costs between $7,500 and $12,500.The cost of an air source heat pump for a home of the same size averages between $4,500 and $8,000.

The price of an EV charger depends on what level it is, or the speed at which it can charge your car. The most popular home EV charger is a Level 2 charger and can cost anywhere from $289 to $899.

 

What Are the Benefits of Home Electrification?

The benefits of an all-electric lifestyle are two-fold: environmental and financial.

When you invest in home electrification, you reduce your home’s reliance on traditional energy sources like oil and gas. When these fossil fuels are burned, they release harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gasses that can cause respiratory illnesses and disease, and contribute to climate change. 

Solar energy is a clean energy because it doesn’t produce any harmful emissions. Solar panels can last between 25 and 40 years. After your panels are no longer productive, we will recycle the materials to ensure peak sustainability. 

The financial benefits of home electrification are substantial. The yearly cost of electricity for the average home in Southern New York is about $3,000. Due to regular rates of inflation, electricity increases at a rate of 2.66% per year. With solar, many homeowners are able to reduce their bills dramatically, with many only paying $20, which is the required grid connection fee. 

Dandelion Energy estimates that an average 2,500 square foot home in New York with central air and fuel oil heat will save 47% of their total heating and cooling costs with geothermal. The savings are even greater when pairing a heat pump with solar. 

 

With Solar With Grid Power With Home Heating Oil
~$760 / year ~$2,565/year At least $4,600/year

 

Pairing a home EV charger with solar is the best way to maximize vehicle savings. You can fully charge your EV at home while saving upwards of $1,000 per year on fueling costs when compared to a traditional gas-powered vehicle. 

More Savings

Home Electrification Incentives + Rebates

Whether you’re starting small or looking to make several upgrades at once, electrifying your home will help you save immediately while also reducing your carbon footprint. To help offset the initial cost of home electrification and encourage homeowners to choose clean energy, there are a number of incentives available through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Download incentive guide
Homeowners IRA Guide preview

FAQs About Home Electrification

I plan to electrify my home. Do I need to replace all of my appliances at once?
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When you electrify your home, you do not need to replace all your appliances at once! Installing multiple appliances at once may help you save on shipping and installation costs, but it is not necessary.

To electrify my home do I need an electric panel upgrade?
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Home electrification is a multi-step process to fight climate change and maximize home savings. Many new homes are being built with an electric service of 200A. If you have an older home, your service may be 100 or 150A. To achieve full electrification, you will need a panel upgrade.


However, this does not mean you can’t get started! You can begin replacing existing gas or oil technologies without upgrading your electric panel. Contact us to see what your potential savings could be.

Will home electrification increase my electric bill?
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It’s true that you will be using more electricity after electrifying your home, but the use of solar panels will greatly reduce your electric bills, even after home electrification. 

 

After installing home solar, you can enroll in a program called net metering. This is a program offered by some utilities, including ConEd and PSEG, that allows homeowners to send unused electricity to that grid. That energy can later be reclaimed at night or during the winter, when their solar system is less productive. 

 

Because of this program, many clients see their monthly electric bill reduced to ~$20, which is the required grid connection fee.

How does electrifying my home relate to federal and state sustainability and climate action goals?
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In 2019, New York State signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act into Law. The Climate Act aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030, and 85 percent by 2050. When you invest in these technologies for your home, you are able to help the state reach their goals by reducing your reliance on traditional fuel sources.

 

Similarly, the federal government has created the National Climate Task Force, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Part of this plan is the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides significant financial incentives for homeowners and businesses investing and installing renewable energy.

Can I add solar panels to my home without battery backup?
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Yes! You can add solar panels to your home without adding any other home electrification technology and will still experience significant savings. Book an appointment to get started on your solar journey.

Can I install solar panels now and add other technology later?
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Once you’re an EmPower Solar client, you’re always an EmPower Solar client. After installation, you can decide at any point to add additional technology, though we do recommend installing the systems together to reduce timelines and costs.

 

It’s important to note that if you went solar with a different company, we cannot add additional panels or backup battery systems to your home at this time.

Do you partner with other companies on home electrification upgrades?
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EmPower Solar is proud to partner with several local companies to help with your electrification needs, including home EV charging and heat pump installation. Our engineering and design team will work to ensure that your home solar system is appropriately sized to accommodate additional/future upgrades. Contact us to learn more.