About – Palo Alto Energy

I first became interested in the Palo Alto Sustainability Climate Action Plan early August, 2015. There was an article in the Palo Alto Weekly describing an upcoming city council meeting where the plan details as of that date would be presented. The part of the plan that was that was of my interest was the so-called electrification, where residents and business would be encouraged or forced to switch their natural gas stoves, water heaters, and furnaces to electric stoves, heat pump water heaters, and heat pump space heating appliances.

Intuitively this seemed bizarre. As a 45 year resident and retired electrical engineer and knowing something about the relative energy costs of natural gas vs. electricity, something didn't seem correct. City reports to date have not outlined adequately the costs and issues of the electrification plan. I address these issues and am solely responsible for the content. Your questions, suggestions, and comments are most welcomed.
Gary Lindgren