Menlo Park's program aimed at replacing gas appliances with electric ones for low-income homeowners has seen limited uptake since its launch in August, with only 11 participants thus far. The city faces pressure to utilize a $4.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission before its June 2026 deadline. Concerns from residents center on increased electricity costs and usage during outages. However, city officials assert the benefits of electric appliances, including better indoor air quality and potential savings on energy bills through the efficiency of electric systems like heat pumps.
Since the program launched in late August, 11 homeowners have agreed to participate. Appliance installations are underway at two homes.
All the feedback that I've heard from the community is based on, if I electrify my home, I'm going to be having higher electricity bills...
Electric appliances can be more energy-efficient than their gas counterparts, leading to lower monthly energy bills...heat pumps can be up to three times more efficient than gas furnaces.
The city is hoping to spend the first half of the funding by around the middle of this year to leave enough time for spending the second installment.
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