Nov 012023
 
How to Make Decisions About Heat Pumps

By Will Brownsberger Edited and reprinted with permission from Brownsberger’s blog, willbrownsberger.com/heat-pumps. Many people are seeking to shrink their personal carbon footprint. Many also seek to participate constructively in the energy systems transitions necessary to achieve net zero carbon emissions. There is a broad consensus among climate planners in Massachusetts that we need to electrify heating in buildings. However, each building raises unique challenges. This article attempts to summarize the environmental and consumer considerations for people seeking to electrify home heating. Many of these issues are explored in more depth in this heat pump outline. Several good heat pump applications [READ MORE]

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It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy

 Environment, Newsletter, September 2021  Comments Off on It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy
Aug 232021
 
It’s Time to Switch from Gas to Clean Energy

By Debora Hoffman Think natural gas is a clean fuel? Think again. The fossil fuel, touted as a bridge fuel in the fight against CO2 emissions, is far deadlier to the planet—and our health—than is publicized. The issue? Leaks. Leaked gas is methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 (see “Is it Time to Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont?” BCF Newsletter, November 2020). During its first 20 years in the atmosphere, methane is 86% more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2.  So how much gas is leaking? A lot. Statewide, gas utilities reported that 5,753 metric [READ MORE]

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Is it Time to Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont?

 Environment, Newsletter, November 2020  Comments Off on Is it Time to Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont?
Nov 062020
 
Is it Time to Get Natural Gas Out of Belmont?

By Roger Wrubel In 2009, Town Meeting adopted a Belmont Climate Action resolution committing to an 80% reduction in our town’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. An inventory in 2015 found that Belmont had reduced its GHG emissions by 5% compared with 2007. The inventory showed that the most of Belmont’s emissions came from home heating and vehicles. Most of the reduction in emissions in the last nine years is attributable to a shift from using oil for home heating to natural gas, and a similar shift to natural gas from coal and oil to generate electricity for the [READ MORE]

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