Image by A stockphotoOPINION – Distributed energy resources (DERs) like electric vehicles (EVs), home batteries, heat pumps, and rooftop solar panels, can power the grid more efficiently than gas peaker plants, making everyday Californians the power providers instead of dirty energy.
A building with window air conditioners, which are not as efficient as heat pumps. (Photo: David Crockett, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Unlike states like Texas and Florida, where only 1% of homes lack A.C., roughly a quarter of California homes are not equipped with central cooling. Studies show that the access to cooling in homes is highly correlated with heat-related mortality – and low-income households are less likely to have the cooling they need to stay safe.
Masked youths walk down a street in Pacific Palisades, as a brush fire burns beyond the houses. (Photo: BrittanyNY, via Shutterstock)OPINION: California is laying the groundwork to transition millions of homes and buildings from fossil fuel heat to clean energy in coming decades, but the policies guiding our state’s investment in affordable housing are pushing California in the exact opposite direction — by penalizing developers who want to build sustainably.