Converting your home to an electric heating system will require a considerable upfront financial investment that will almost certainly never pay for itself, particularly for those who have already invested in high-efficiency heating oil equipment and are using higher blends of clean-burning Bioheat® Fuel. In addition to the cost of conversion, a recent study by ICF concluded that policy-driven electrification would increase the average residential household energy-related costs by approximately 38% to 46%, resulting in an increase to the average affected residential household of between $750 and $910 per year. The study concludes that this cost would far outweigh the benefit of electrification, which would result in a negligible 1 to 1.5 percent reduction of GHG emissions by 2035.

There is an abundance of misinformation regarding the cleanliness of electricity. Today, according to the U.S. Energy Administration, GHG-emitting fossil fuels are the largest sources of energy for electricity generation. Ninety-one percent of all coal burned in the United States goes to the country’s electric power grid. Arguably the most polluting of all fossil fuels when factoring in both the mining and combustion process, coal produces more than a quarter of the country’s electricity. Thirty-five percent of U.S. electricity is sourced from natural gas, which is primarily comprised of methane. If methane is released into the atmosphere before being used, it is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over short periods of time and 30 times more potent over the long term. A recent report by the Environmental Defense Fund surmises that natural gas released during the extraction process and through pipeline leaks may negate much of its clean-burning benefit over other fossil fuels. Hydropower also has its environmental drawbacks, including destruction of natural habitats, disruption of migratory patterns, changes in water quality, wildlife displacement, and other ecological concerns. A growing number of  U.S. policy makers are advocating for an electrical power grid based on 100 percent renewable energy in the relative near future – something that we are far from capable of today. To substantially increase electricity demand by electrifying the heating sector, and then to meet that demand through 100 percent renewable energy, has been deemed unrealistic by leading experts including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the International Energy Agency.

Converting to electric or natural gas heat means placing your home heating needs in the hands of a large utility company rather than your trusted heating oil dealer who offers the convenience of budget and service plans, price protection, and who can be counted on 24/7 to keep your family safe and warm. These local, usually family-owned and -operated companies employ an average 36 people from their communities, and will have been legislated out of business after serving their customers proudly over several generations.