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Slowing Down the Electrification Train…

Written on: August 9, 2021

electification Did you know that power outages are twice as common today as they were a decade ago and five times as common as they were 40 years ago?

Storms that knock out power are happening everywhere in the U.S. – from Texas to New York to Pittsburgh – with some outages leaving thousands or even millions without power for days or more.

If you’ve never experienced a power outage, trust us – it’s not fun. But it’s especially troubling when you consider that many state governments – including ours – are pushing hard on plans to “electrify everything” in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. “Everything” includes the way you heat your home – which means having to replace your heating oil– or propane-fired heating system sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Here at Brideau Energy, we believe that critical steps must be taken to address climate change—which is why we have invested our time, effort, and money into converting our fuel supply from traditional heating oil to Bioheat Plus® fuel.

The Electrification Misconception

The problem is that however well-intended the “all aboard the electric train” movement is, it can only work if we achieve technology breakthroughs that are still years if not decades away. In the meantime, we’re stuck with an old, outdated grid that has proven time and to be unreliable under strain.

Imagine all the problems we’re having keeping our air conditioners running, but having it happen during the winter when we’re dealing with single digit temperatures. Do we honestly think a grid fed by 10s of thousands of electric heat pumps will be able to keep up with demand in that scenario? And that’s just the homes – also consider that our cars, office buildings, stadiums, and other structures will be relying more on electricity, too.

A more reasonable approach for everyone, including us as fuel suppliers and you as energy consumers, is to lean on solutions that can immediately and dramatically reduce our collective carbon footprint without extensive taxes, equipment replacement and infrastructure investment. This includes improving efficiency, using alternative fuels, and making lifestyle changes.

The bottom line: We need thoughtful policy and thoughtful actions that address our climate needs without putting all our eggs in one fragile energy basket. At Brideau Energy, we’re doing what we can to be a part of that more sensible solution.