Home improvement, sea monsters and clean energy
“What does a sea monster eat?” “Ships and salsa!!!!!” “Ha-ha! Very funny!”
“What does a fish eat?” “ Seaweed and salsa!!!!!“ “Hmmmm…”
My grandchildren are learning to joke. It takes them years of practice to catch on that every joke involves a contradiction (something that doesn’t go together) flipping itself into something that does. The bigger the disconnect, the better the joke (if it works at all).
Any joke can take flight or it can land with a thud, but surprise is always part of the reaction.
Denial—“What a joke!”
Puzzlement—“I don’t get it.“
Spontaneous laughter, that’s the best.
The reason jokes are so popular is that we humans LOVE the feeling of wry relief when we GET it. We just felt something change in our heads, and it feels good.
A lot of people probably thought President Biden was a joke when he told Congress, “We’re going to need oil for at least another decade.” Some were shocked and puzzled that something like that can be spoken in such a [public serious] forum. Some started wondering what it means for them—is it a threat? Probably half of the listeners felt relief at the honesty and wisdom of AT LAST hearing this definitive truth spoken to Congress.
Congress may be the last to get it, but here at home, we are hearing about those who do. It was awesome to read about Louisville’s Office of Sustainability planning for the community to reach Net Zero by 2040, part of that greater movement toward the world’s target of reaching Net Zero by 2050. America’s greenhouse gas emissions have been declining as coal power has been replaced by cleaner energy sources and the tide is beginning to turn. Maybe you can feel the change in the currents.
In President Biden’s State of the Union address, we heard about our federal government dealing with methane pollution, deploying clean energy, and supporting electric vehicle incentives, building electrification and efficiency, natural climate solutions, innovation and domestic green manufacturing.
Do you know how easily ALL OF US can start now to get ourselves to Net Zero? Jefferson, Bullitt and Nelson County residents, along with the rest of the country, can get bucketloads of financial aid for improving homes for energy efficiency and lowering energy needs and energy bills. A lot of this comes in the form of renewed and new upfront rebates. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) focuses on energy security and climate change investment, including how households will get tax credits to help offset home improvements that lower energy costs while reducing carbon emissions.
Some of this new financial aid is linked to income. If Kentuckians earn less than $44,000-ish per year, it might pay the whole cost of some major projects upfront, including rewiring, preparing and installation. If they make more (up to about $99,000 and change), it might pay half. (Indiana’s numbers are a little higher, all based on annual median income for the area.) At the same time, a dizzying number of other rebates and tax credits are available to everyone, with no income limits.
The immediate, personal part is that everyone can go RIGHT NOW to the RewiringAmerica.org and click on IRA Savings Calculator up in the right-hand corner to find out how much your new “personal energy account” has in it. Start making your own plan, according to YOUR values, in your own home. Check into energy.gov’s Weatherization Assistance Program. A concurrently updated list of all available tax credits from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) can be found at https://www.irs.gov/inflation-reduction-act-of-2022. A Clean Energy Credits List from the Department of Energy is at https://www.energy.gov/policy/articles/making-our-homes-more-efficient-clean-energy-tax-credits-consumers. The White House’s landing page for clean energy benefits is https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/. All of these are updated as new information is comes on board.
Right now, rebates are in effect for buying energy-efficient exterior doors, exterior windows and skylights and insulation materials or systems and air sealing materials or systems, electric vehicles and chargers, solar electric property expenditures (solar panels), solar water heating property expenditures (solar water heaters), fuel cell property expenditures, small wind energy property expenditures (wind turbines), geothermal heat pump property expenditures; and battery storage technology expenditures. Labor and installation and upgraded electric service are also included in this mix.
Home appliances, including new-tech efficient, clean, affordable heat pumps and induction stoves, are also on the list, but the specifics won’t be available until later in 2023, depending on how each state decides to do it and when they get the work done. In the meantime, we can all be planning ahead to replace equipment and wiring that makes sense in our own lives. Upgrading fuel sources can mean better indoor air quality. Induction cooking is fast, precise and efficient. Heat pumps bring large savings for those converting from oil or propane or older electric heat systems. Heat pump water heaters and clothes dryers cost much less to operate than conventional electric.
There is so much coming on line for households that we can’t list it here. Consumer Reports, energy.gov, angi.com (formerly Angie’s list), rewiringamerica.org, citizensclimatelobby.org, and our utility companies are just a few of the groups working to make this make sense. Search for “Inflation Reduction Act” and “energy rebates.” You will probably be pleasantly surprised. Call and ask your library researcher to get specific answers to questions. Contact your state and local representatives to see whether they can assist. Utility companies (Louisville Gas & Electric, Kentucky Utilities, Salt River RECC, Bardstown Electric, East Kentucky Power Cooperative) and others can help you do a home energy audit. A lot of this assistance is being administered through tax rebates, and the work is being done for us through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), so we might want to let our state and federal representatives know that this is not a great time to defund these busy workers.
Technology has changed so much in the last decade that what we THINK we know is probably out of date. Did you even know heat pump water heaters exist? How about the new efficient kitchen stoves? Lowe’s in Bardstown has two induction stoves on site for you to check out. I don’t know about Louisville merchants, but it’s time to start asking so that by the fall when the rebates are available, you can get your hands on what you want. You may even be able to check out new tech from the library—Bullitt County’s Central Library in Shepherdsville is getting a single-burner induction stove in its Library of Things, so that we can test this efficient cooking technology in our own kitchens (or on the back porch or camping area). Ask at your local branch.
Most of us will make changes gradually. If your water heater is on its last legs, you decide whether you will be putting in a heat pump water heater to replace it. If your kitchen stove bites the dust, will you be taking advantage of credits for high-efficiency gas or biomass or a high-efficiency electric induction stove? What makes sense for your home and your family? Figure out how YOU want to upgrade your electric and weatherize your home.
All this money going to individuals comes back in play in our economy as it saves money on utility bills, generates sales and job growth and works to prevent the worst effects of climate change wreaking future havoc. As a reminder, a number of home appliances currently use natural gas, especially here in Kentucky. This is a problem because every drop of natural gas that is produced releases carbon dioxide (CO2), the most infamous form of climate pollution. Many gas-burning appliances leak methane—an even more potent greenhouse gas. They can do this even when not in use. Beyond the appliance itself leaking indoors, which has been linked to childhood asthma and other health risks, approximately 3% of natural gas is lost to leaks on the way from well to customer. US methane emissions from gas stoves are roughly equal to the climate impact of 500,000 non-electric cars.
This is a lot of information at one time. It’s hitting people in different ways. Where does it reach you?
Are you stuck at “This is a joke!”?
Are you feeling conflicted? Curious?
Are you puzzled and searching for information?
Kudos to those who are laughing out loud with relief that things are looking up for all of us, and we are on our way to the benefits of a clean energy future.
If you don't get it yet, don’t be afraid. The world is looking forward to the day we can all laugh with each other.
