Jumpstart your home electrification journey with free online tours June 6 & 13
Berkeley, California (Thursday, June 03, 2021) - Learn how your neighbors are upgrading their homes to combat climate change at two virtual green home tours in June. These online events showcase sustainability features in 12 East Bay homes, including all-electric appliances, solar and battery storage, native gardens, and electric vehicle charging.
Each tour will be followed by a live Q&A with residents and homeowners. For those considering upgrades of their own, experts will be on hand to answer questions about heat pumps, air quality, solar storage, power outages, rebates, and more. We’ll even have an induction cooking demonstration.
Tours on Sunday, June 6 and Sunday June 13
There are two tour dates, each featuring six 10-minute home tours, followed by a 10-minute live Q&A:
- Sunday, June 6, 10am-2pm
- Sunday, June 13, 10am-2pm
Register online to attend. See the full schedule for details on tours and speakers.
All the homes in each tour – whether an apartment, house or ADU – are partially or fully electrified. Polluting gas appliances have been swapped out for efficient, all-electric alternatives powered by clean electricity from their local community choice energy provider.
Recordings of the tours and expert presentations will also be available on the East Bay Green Home Tour website, along with other resources on electrification.
Green home tours support City climate goals
The City recently released a draft Existing Buildings Electrification Strategy which lays out a plan for the City to equitably electrify all buildings. In Berkeley and throughout the state, fossil-fuel powered buildings are the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane, the key component of natural gas, is a harmful greenhouse gas that traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide. By transitioning buildings to electricity, we can reduce methane leakages in the natural gas system, from extraction to pipeline to our homes and businesses. As the electric grid gets cleaner each year with the addition of more renewable solar and wind energy, the carbon footprint of all-electric buildings shrinks. All-electric buildings that have rooftop solar or purchase 100% renewable electricity are already zero-emission.
Building electrification is a key strategy to reach the City’s Fossil Fuel Free and Climate Action Plan goals. Building electrification also supports the City's Strategic Plan goal to "be a global leader in addressing climate change, advancing environmental justice, and protecting the environment."
The City is collaborating with local tour producer Verdant Communications & Project Management, the Ecology Center, and the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition Electrification Working Group to host this event.
Join the East Bay Green Home Tour and discover from your neighbors how to jumpstart your electrification journey.
Links
- Online registration: East Bay Green Home Tour
- East Bay Green Home Tour schedule and speakers
- Draft Berkeley Existing Buildings Electrification Strategy and Electrification Resources
- Opt Up for 100% Renewable Energy through East Bay Community Energy