In Brookline, Massachusetts, a group helps neighbors cut carbon emissions one appliance at a time » Yale Climate Connections

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Many homes burn a lot of fossil fuels, from oil-powered furnaces to gas-powered stoves.

Switching to electric appliances like heat pumps and induction stoves helps reduce the climate-warming pollution caused by burning fossil fuels.

And in Brookline, Massachusetts, a group called Electrify Brookline has written a series of guides to help residents start.

Scanlon: “It just seemed like there was so much information to sift out there, that getting a reliable, vetted, comprehensive set of guides out there seemed like the best way that we could help residents start to begin their journey of electrification.”

Kathleen Scanlon is an architect and a member of the town’s Zero Emissions Advisory Board.

The guides answer questions like how heat pumps work and how to get a rebate for an electric car charger.

They’re available for free online, along with lists of contractors with experience in electrification.

Scanlon says people do not need to electrify their whole house at once. Her family has been weaning off of fossil fuels slowly over time.

Scanlon: “We are on a journey, just like any other household, in learning what technology is out there that will work for us and replacing systems as they need it – and planning ahead so that we can be ready when we need to replace them.”

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media