The price of natural gas in California is on the rise again. The leap that will increase heating bills for millions of families this winter speaks to a fundamental truth about supplying and heating our homes with fossil fuels like gas: we are at the mercy of wild price fluctuations that are an integral part of the Business Model.
For decades, this cycle of fossil fuel price spikes seemed inevitable, but thanks to the rapid advancement of technology, this is no longer the case. In the coming years, California has the opportunity to move into an energy future that will be much more stable and much more affordable – completely ending our dependence on fossil fuels.
Numerous studies show that switching to an electricity grid that is powered by 100% clean energy sources, and then using that electricity to power household appliances for heating and cooking, can lead to lower electricity bills for households. Getting there will take a huge investment in home improvement with electrical appliances, but that investment will pay off in lower energy bills, more jobs, cleaner air and a more stable climate.
Let’s first talk about the intrinsic differences between fossil fuel and clean energy business models that make the future of clean energy the obvious choice.
If you look at the graph of natural gas prices over the past decade, the line looks like the crest of a particularly rugged ridge – high peaks are replaced by sloping cliffs. We are now going to the top and continue our ascent. The Energy Information Administration predicts that natural gas heating bills in the West will increase 23.5% this year over last year.
The price chart for renewable energy sources such as solar power over the past decade paints a very different picture. This line moved in only one direction – down. In fact, the price of renewable energy has dropped so dramatically that it is now the most affordable energy resource in the world.
To shield families from surges in fossil fuel prices, California needs to invest much faster in new renewable energy sources like wind and solar, accelerating our goal of 100% clean energy. The next step, which must come alongside our drive to increase renewable energy sources, is a massive effort to retrofit homes with clean electrical appliances like heat pumps that can harness this clean energy, lowering household bills and reducing pollution. Wednesday. climate crisis.
A recent study by Carbon Switch found that if every home in the United States replaced its heating and cooling systems with heat pumps, the average Californian household would save more than $ 300 a year in energy costs. The report also says that moving away from fossil fuel devices could create 348,656 jobs in California alone.
The future of clean energy is just around the corner with more stable and affordable bills, but of course this transition will not happen in time to protect households that currently use gas for heating from sky-high electricity bills this winter. No family should have to choose between getting warm or putting food on the table. To protect vulnerable families, California now needs to significantly increase utilities for low-income families.
California’s leaders took an important step in the right direction earlier this year when they pledged $ 2 billion in debt relief for public services, but the funds were slow to reach vulnerable households and not enough to meet the scale of the need. To make matters worse, California’s moratorium on utility shutdowns has just expired, leaving thousands of families facing blackouts as we head out into the winter.
This jump in gas prices will hit families hard, but we do not need to remain at the mercy of gas price fluctuations in the coming winters. California leaders have policy solutions close at hand to ensure a more stable and affordable clean energy future – we must invest in them.
Andrew Brooks is Director of West Coast Operations at the Energy Affordability Association. He wrote this comment for CalMatters.
