The Ultimate Home Electrification Guide
If you want to electrify your home (and, trust me, you really do want to) you’ll need to know the “what’s what” and the “who’s who” of possibly the most important movement in the history of humanity. In this post we’ll introduce you to all the brands, the companies, the people, the products, the resources, the nonprofits, and the government agencies that are contributing, in big ways and small, to the Home Electrification movement.
Think of this post as the Wikipedia of home electrification. Some of the entries will be household names who will need no introduction. Others will be less well-known and we may have to explain exactly what they do and why we’ve included them.
We’ll give you a little information about each entry right here on this page and, for some, we’ll link out to additional information we have posted elsewhere in the blog. We’ll include contact information and links to websites, where appropriate, and where that information is readily available (sorry, we don’t have Elon Musk’s private email address).
One thing to note is that a resource like this is, by its very nature, a continuous work in progress. We’ll be adding to it over time, maybe including companies and organizations at some future date that don’t even exist right now. If you think we’ve missed an entry or that you, your company or your organization should be included, feel free to reach out to us to make your case. We’ll be happy to consider adding you.
For now, we’ll list the entries alphabetically but, as we grow, it may become necessary to categorize the list further and add various search or sorting features. Meanwhile, here is our A-Z directory of Home Electrification.
Nate Adams - Influencer
Based out of Cleveland, OH, Nate Adams, otherwise known as the House Whisperer, describes himself as the “CEO and Rabble Rouser’ at HVAC 2.0. He is the face of a movement that is rethinking the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry by educating homeowners and HVAC professionals on what it’s going to take to retrofit millions of homes with all electric heating and cooling solutions.
HVAC 2.0’s aim is to create a fun and profitable business model that is built on sound building science so that anyone who wants a comfortable, healthy, renewably-powered home can have one. It’s a classic case of meeting the problem where the rubber hits the road. The fact is, we’re going to need millions of HVAC professionals out there taking care of these retrofits in the coming years.
Bidirectional Charger - Product
Back in May, 2021, when Ford announced it’s landmark F-150 Lightning electric truck, one of its unique selling propositions was the fact that customers would be able not only to charge the truck from their home, but also to power their home from the truck in the event of an outage. Pretty cool, right? But it wouldn’t be possible without bidirectional EV chargers.
The feature is now spreading to other vehicles, such as Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and this has the potential to become a really big deal for the home electrification movement.
The reason for this is that homes that are powered with solar have an outage every single day, it’s called nighttime. The idea that an electric vehicle could potentially provide electricity for a home while the sun is down, essentially replacing a generator or a Telsa Powerwall, is starting to take hold. Are we there yet, not quite, but when (not if) we get there, it’ll be thanks to bi-directional charging.
Carrier - Brand
Headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Carrier is one of the most trusted heat pump brands in the US. Ever since Willis Carrier invented the air conditioner in 1902, the company he founded has been engineering and producing heating and cooling products, manufacturing some of the most energy-efficient air conditioners, furnaces and heat pumps around.
As we make the switch to all-electric heating and cooling, many homeowners will be nervous. Having trusted brands behind the new machines we buy will give people a level of comfort that will help to hasten the transition.
Dandelion Energy - Company
Dandelion Energy is a company based in New York that specializes in offering geothermal installations to provide heating, cooling and hot water to homeowners throughout the northeastern United States. The geothermal heat pumps that Dandelion installs exchange heat with the ground beneath the home to either warm the house in the winter or cool it off during the summer, as well as provide for all the home’s hot water needs.
Known for developing the first sub-$20,000 geothermal installation, the company was founded as part of Google X, before being spun off as an independent entity in 2017.
Ego - Brand
Owned by Chinese company Chervon, Ego is a powerhouse brand in the area of cordless outdoor power equipment. As such, they are leading the charge in the electrification of yard work.
Ego sells lawn mowers, leaf blowers, weed whackers, hedge trimmers, edgers, generators, chain saws, snow blowers, battery chargers and accessories. A good starting point for homeowners looking to switch from gasoline-powered garden tools to all-electric ones.
Ford F-150 Lightning - Brand
The Ford F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in North America, and has been for over 40 years. That’s not just the best selling truck, but the best-selling vehicle, period. Not only that, but the F-150 is a brand that evokes intense loyalty among its customers, similar to those who simply adore all Apple products.
So it’s fair to say that the spring 2022 launch of the all-electric F-150 Lightning really was a big deal. Billed as Ford’s smartest, most innovative truck yet, it has the potential to change hearts and minds about the potential of electric vehicles. At $40,000 it’s comparable in price to other ICE trucks in its class, and it’s bi-directional charging capability has got people thinking about uses that go way beyond just hauling stuff from point A to point B.
Suffice it to say, if the F-150 Lightning turns out to be a hit, electric vehicles will have finally arrived.
Saul Griffith - Influencer
Saul Griffith is an Australian American physicist, engineer, researcher, inventor, serial entrepreneur, and MacArthur “genius” grant winner. He is the founder and chief scientist at Otherlab, an independent research and development lab that helps government agencies and corporations understand energy infrastructure and decarbonization.
More recently he co-founded Rewiring America, a nonprofit dedicated to decarbonizing America by electrifying everything. His recent book on the subject - Electrify - was a major source of inspiration for the launching of this blog.
Environmental reporter David Roberts describes him as “probably the person who knows more about energy, as it’s used in the United States, than any other human being.”
Most important of all, Griffith’s voice in the climate debate is one of unerring optimism. He believes, and has the data to prove, that decarbonizing the economy is very doable. We already have all the necessary technology, he argues. We just need a firm commitment to its rapid deployment.
Heat Pumps - Product
Heat pumps are the solution to our future home and office heating needs. With 10% of our carbon emissions (not to mention our methane emissions) coming from the heating and cooling of the spaces where we live and work, finding a carbon-free way to do that is critical.
Fortunately, we’ve had the solution for decades (think reversible refrigerators and air conditioners), we just need to deploy the technology on a massive scale. Easy peasy, right? What’s more, since heat pumps merely transfer heat, rather than generate it, they are inherently more efficient than even the highest-tech conventional furnaces.
If your oil or gas-burning furnace dies, don’t even think about replacing it with anything other than a heat pump.
Induction Stove - Product
Induction stove tops provide a solution not only to global climate change but also to indoor air pollution. It turns out that cooking with gas emits far more pollutants than cooking with electricity does and switching out our millions of gas stoves for electric ones would help a great deal when it comes to fighting climate change.
Induction stove tops offer a way to cook that is as easy and convenient as natural gas but carries fewer risks to both the climate and to the home’s inhabitants.
Lynn Jurich - Entrepreneur
Lynn Jurich is the co-Founder and Former CEO of Sunrun, the largest residential solar company in the US. Her main claim to fame was that she invented the concept of the Power Purchase Agreement, which allows homeowners to get solar panels installed on the roof with zero upfront cost, in exchange for signing a long-term agreement to purchase the power those panels generate at a predetermined rate per kWh.
Many in the industry consider this to have been a game changing innovation, since it allowed millions of homeowners who believed that they “couldn’t afford” to go solar to do so without having to foot the upfront cost.
Kenyon Grills & Cooktops - Product
Based in Clinton, CT, Kenyon is one of the leading brands in the area of electric grills and induction cooktops.
Founded in 1931 as a manufacturer of aviation and marine instruments, its first foray into the kitchen came with the development of ceramic glass cooktops for yachts. Demand soon spread onto land and the company is now the largest manufacturer in North America of two burner induction cooktops and stainless steel electric grills.
As we transition away from cooking with gas (both in the kitchen and in the garden) Kenyon products may become an important player.
LG Energy - Company
LG Energy is the battery subsidiary of the giant South Korean electronics company, LG Chem, and stands as perhaps the main competitor to the Tesla Powerwall in the home energy storage space.
LG Chem began mass production of Korea's first lithium-ion batteries in 1999 and has since grown to become the second largest battery manufacturer in the world. In addition to home storage solutions, LG Chem also produces batteries for electric vehicles, such as the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Volt and Renault ZOE.
Its Residential Energy Storage Unit (RESU) is a new generation of batteries that pair with a home solar system and connect directly to a storage-ready solar inverter for charging and discharging.
Elon Musk - Entrepreneur
Love him or hate him, few can deny that, when the book is written on the home electrification movement (hopefully around 2035, or so) there’s going to be at least a chapter or two devoted to the contributions of Elon Musk.
First, the founder of Tesla finally made electric vehicles cool. Then he figured out how to make them (at least somewhat) affordable.
That would have been a pretty significant chapter in itself, but he then went on to acquire Solarcity and transform it into Tesla Energy, conceiving along the way the concept of the Solar Roof. And then there’s the solar Power Wall, a sleek, attractive way to store energy.
We’ll have plenty more to say about Elon Musk throughout this blog but one thing’s for sure, a list of who’s who in the home electrification movement would not be credible without his inclusion.
Net Metering
Net metering is the means by which a residential or commercial solar customer can send their excess power to their local utility in exchange for either cash or credits against future use. It also serves as a way for homeowners and businesses to contribute energy and remove some of the pressure from the grid during peak consumption periods.
And until all homes have affordable in-home storage, the net metering program can also act as a de facto battery. During the day, most solar customers produce more electricity than they consume. Net metering allows them to send that power to the grid in exchange for credits. Later in the evening, when households typically use more power than their system can generate, they draw the power they need from the grid but the cost of that power is offset by the credits they have already accumulated.
Off Grid Solar System - Product
An off-grid solar system, otherwise known as a stand alone power system (SAPS) is one that has no connection to the utility grid, and must make and store all the electricity necessary to power, perhaps, a small energy-efficient home, a small cabin or the appliances in an RV.
Since they need plenty of battery storage, off-grid solar systems are much more expensive than more common grid-tied solar ones. As such, they typically do not make sense for powering homes in cities, towns or suburbs.
Plug-In Hybrid - Product
While much of the attention in the automotive world is focused on electric vehicles, there is still one issue standing in the way of full-scale adoption, and that is range anxiety. That’s the fear that many drivers still have that they will run out of charge and not be able to find a charging station.
The answer to this dilemma lies in the plug-in hybrid, a car that runs the vast majority of its journeys, from quick errands to a short commute, on electric power, but switches seamlessly over to gasoline power on longer trips as needed. They’re a hugely important part of the automotive mix, particularly for single-car families, for whom the switch to full-electric feels too risky right now.
Quasar 2 - Brand
Made by Wallbox, the Quasar 2 is touted as a next-generation bidirectional EV charger that is the first to be designed for home use. It has been described as more than just an EV charger but a breakthrough in home energy management.
At 11.5kW, it allows for faster EV charging and discharging while also allowing an EV to be used to either send an electric vehicle’s power back to the grid (V2G) to take advantage of any discounts or net metering credits that might be available, or to power a home (V2H), for either daily use or for back-up during a power outage.
David Roberts - Influencer
David Roberts is a veteran climate reporter, who, for the better part of two decades, has covered climate change, clean energy and politics, first at Grist.org, then later at Vox.com, and more recently on his own newsletter and podcast, Volts.
His work has also been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Reuters and The Atlantic and he has made appearances on CNN and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In specific regards to us at SwicthingtoElectric.com, it was his 2017 Vox.com article that gave me the inspiration to start this blog.
Sunrun - Company
Sunrun is the largest residential solar company in the United States. Founded in 2007 by Lynn Jurich, Ed Fenster and Nat Kreamer, the company grew rapidly with a business model that allowed a homeowner to install solar panels without incurring any of the upfront costs. Instead, customer would pay for the electricity their system generated at a predetermined cost for a predetermined period of time (usually 20 or 25 years).
In 2015, the company went public and eventually became one of the largest solar companies in the country. In July of 2020, Sunrun announced that it was acquiring Vivint Solar for $2.3 billion, a deal that was concluded in October of the same year.
Tesla - Company / Brand
If anyone wonders if the green economy can also be profitable, they need look no further than Tesla. As arguably the most powerful brand in the electrification movement, Tesla is leading the charge towards an all-electric future.
Starting with electric vehicles, and moving swiftly on to solar (Tesla Energy) and storage (Tesla Powerwall), Elon Musk’s company is plotting a path to a future that few other companies and business leaders can even see.
All of this has led to massive profits, growth and stock market valuations. Tesla recently became the most valuable car company on the planet.
US Department of Energy
Volkswagen - Company
Back in 2015, when Vokslwagen was embroiled in the diesel emissions scandal, it was easy to paint the German auto giant as one of the villains of the climate change narrative. Five years on, though, VW has become a leader among traditional automotive companies in the transition from ICE-powered vehicles to EVs.
The company says that electric vehicles will make up 70% of its sales in Europe by 2030, and 50% in the US. It has no fewer than 70 new EV models in the pipeline, and several already on the market.
Then, as part of the ‘DieselGate’ settlement in the US, VW created Electrify America, with a $2 billion investment and a promise to build EV charging infrastructure across the country.
Wallbox - Company
Anyone paying close attention to the ads in this year’s SuperBowl would have noticed one for a company called Wallbox. It was quite a statement for this relatively unknown company to be advertising along with the ‘big boys’ on the world’s biggest advertising platform.
So who is Wallbox? One of the leading manufacturers of EV charging stations around. The company has four core product ranges, Pulsar, Copper SB, Commander and the Quasar bidirectional charger.
All offer different variations on the EV charging experience for homes and businesses alike. By the time the next Super Bowl comes around, it’s possible that many more millions of people will have heard of them.
