The Future of Homebuilding is Here
The Future of Homebuilding is here - And it’s Powered by 100% Clean Energy
An alarm was sounded again last week by young people around the world demanding action and change towards addressing our climate crisis. “Systems change not climate change,” marchers’ signs read – a call for not just individuals, but for governments and businesses to shift behaviors and policies. Although the streets have since been emptied of climate strikers, Green Canopy is still marching alongside many who are actively doing the hard work to bring about a new paradigm and new behaviors towards systems change.
One new behavior that we are excited about is Seattle City Council’s recent step towards passing legislation that would remove natural gas from new construction buildings in the city. Green Canopy fully supports this movement beyond fossil fuels, and we have been voluntarily been selling all-electric homes since the sale of our first home in 2010.
“We’re proud of our Seattle Council members for identifying that this is the right thing to do - and the market is ready for this as evidenced by the hundreds of electric homes that we have sold.”
Why does Green Canopy choose to build all-electric homes?
We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels
Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas are currently the world's primary energy source – but they are finite resources and cause irreparable harm to the environment and our communities. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the burning of fossil fuels was responsible for 76 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 — It is time to make the shift and build a clean energy future. The gas we use to cook with and heat our homes is often fracked gas, a significant source of carbon and air pollution. When faced with the choice, building all-electric homes that run on 100% clean energy – sometimes even powered by the sun – is a no-brainer.
All-electric homes are better for your health
The dirty secret of the gas industry is that what is delivered to our homes to heat our homes and cook our food is toxic to our health and our children’s health. When heating our homes or cooking food for our children, we breath in toxins such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Studies show that this increases the risk of respiratory illness like asthma, especially in children. With our homeowners’ health in mind, we put induction cook stoves into all of our homes. While we know change is sometimes uncomfortable, induction takes advantage of the latest in technology to help you cook faster, with more precision, and the best yet – healthier.
More power costs less
We live in an advanced technological age where increasingly obsolete technology is being replaced by the latest and greatest. Appliances powered by natural gas are an inevitable relic of the past, especially as more powerful technologies already exist and are commonly used. The induction stoves and electric heat pumps in our homes are far more efficient than their gas counterparts, meaning they not only perform better, but save our homeowners money as well, allowing them to spend their money where they want to – not on their energy bills.
Recently, we partnered with Climate Solutions and Van Wyck and Porter to showcase one of our latest all-electric homes. With pie in hand from 314 Pie, we gathered with our community to demonstrate the benefits of the technology, design, health, and comfort of our all-electric homes.
““We know seeing is believing and highlighting what’s already happening in all-electric home building makes it easier to scale and accelerate solutions to the problem of building emissions. Building emissions are a big focus in addressing climate change and it’s exciting to see how businesses like Green Canopy are leading the way in making all-electric buildings a more accessible reality for communities across Washington State”
Check out some of the photos from our event!
