Natural gas is an unpredictable source of affordable energy, Ohio experts said, as more communities work to electrify homes and buildings to lower costs in the long-term and invest in renewable sources.
One Dayton nonprofit is even helping low-income residents swap out gas appliances for electric ones.
Aileen Hull, community engagement coordinator for the Dayton Energy Collaborative, said her organization is working through grant funding to expand the number of households eligible for free electrification, home repair and weatherization programs.
“Especially if you have gas-powered appliances, you’re creating on-site carbon emissions, and that’s not helpful for the health of the home, nor the neighborhood,” Hull contended. “It’s directly related to people’s health.”
Ohio was awarded $249 million in federal funding through the Inflation Reduction Act, to offer rebates to residents for home energy efficiency projects. The Ohio Department of Development’s Office of Energy and Environment is hosting upcoming virtual and in-person public feedback sessions on the program’s design and implementation. Information is online at development.ohio.gov.
Nat Ziegler, program manager for the coalition Power A Clean Future Ohio, said the unpredictability in prices, including extreme volatility and highs in 2022, have raised concerns about the sustainability of relying on natural gas. Ziegler added federal tax incentives are expanding options for people who want to electrify their homes and boost energy efficiency.
“There are not only market dynamics that are making electricity much more affordable than natural gas, but there are also particular programs and policies that are coming online soon in Ohio that will continue to accelerate that transition to more affordable electricity,” Ziegler explained.
Jon-Paul d’Aversa, senior energy policy adviser for Power A Clean Future Ohio, said expanding the state’s renewable energy sources is one way to keep costs down and reduce emissions. He pointed out solar and wind have good track records for supplying cost-effective electricity.
“When you dig into the numbers, you start to see a few interesting things,” d’Aversa observed. “One is that the price of electricity is really consistent, so it’s something that folks can rely on when you have bills and you’re trying to plan.”
Local governments can reduce energy costs through “aggregation,” or the process of collectively buying electricity from a specific source at a lower price. The coalition has developed a toolkit with resources to help communities get started.
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By Hilary Beaumont for Floodlight and Investigate Midwest.
Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Investigate Midwest-Public News Service Collaboration
Solar farms and wind turbines are popping up across America as a new climate law boosts the economics of renewables through billions of dollars of incentives. But in Ohio, one of the most hostile states for renewables, developers are walking a tightrope.
For the first time, renewable energy in the United States is the same price as energy from burning fossil fuels. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — the largest investment in combating climate change in U.S. history — has helped developers by boosting tax credits.
But solar advocates and developers in Ohio are pessimistic that the IRA will help them overcome fossil fuel-backed opposition groups spreading misinformation about solar and a harsh regulatory regime in the Republican-run state.
“Ohio is probably one of the most biased states in terms of its treatment of renewables as this catastrophic thing that needs to be limited and banned,” said Dave Anderson, policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group that exposes dark money.
The state has set up an uneven playing field that favors fossil fuels. Ohio rebranded gas as “renewable” energy and passed a law, Senate Bill 52, that gives local governments the power to veto solar and wind farms. No such veto power exists for fossil fuel projects.
Developers say SB52 is having a chilling effect on solar projects in a state where only 54% of residents believe climate change is caused by human activities — 4 percentage points less than the national average.
“It’s been pretty nuts to watch how far it’s gone,” Anderson said of SB52.
The law is part of a growing wave of organized opposition to…
Read More: Experts Shifting to electricity could ease Ohioans energy burden / Public News