To fully electrify a home in San Mateo County is around $30,000 but can vary depending on the size and age of the home. However, most homeowners will go electric when replacing existing gas appliances that have reached their end of life. When accounting for the many rebates and incentives available to San Carlos residents, replacing a gas appliance with a clean, electric alternative can be the most cost-effective option rather than staying with gas. 

Learn more form case studies of electric retrofits in San Mateo County. 

Electricity is more expensive than gas but electric appliances are much more efficient to operate. Studies show that on average there is not a significant impact either way in terms of savings or increased bills cost associated with electrification. See the table below for a breakdown based on appliance.

If there is a power outage and your home is not equipped with a generator or battery backup, you will not be able to use your electrical appliances. However, since all modern gas appliances use electric ignition for fire safety, they won’t be able to ignite during a power outage either. The exception is a gas stove which can be lit manually but is not recommended to operate without a hood vent to remove harmful pollutants.

The California grid is most strained on the hottest days when air conditioners across the state are on full blast. Electric homes using heat pumps do not have a significantly higher electricity demand compared to a home with AC and can be more easily accommodated in the short term. In the long term, electrifying homes will add loads during the winter but at a pace that grid operators and regulators can plan for and accommodate.

• Improve the energy efficiency of your home before electrifying to reduce your home's heating and cooling needs
• Avoid split ovens / cooktops in favor of slide-in ranges
• Avoid installing ultra fast EV charging (60 amps or higher)
• Consider amp saving technologies like a circuit pauser, circuit sharer, or smart panel

For more information, checkout Peninsula Clean Energy's Guidelines for Home Electrification or Redwood Energy's Watt Diet Calculator. The best way to find out if you need a panel upgrade is to speak with an electrician or energy expert.

Indoor appliances impact the quality of our indoor air, among other concerns. Natural gas and propane stoves release carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other harmful pollutants that can be toxic to people and pets. Using a wood stove or fireplace to cook can result in high levels of indoor air pollution as well. Electric appliances do not combust fossil fuels and therefore do not produce any pollutants in your home or in your community.

A heat pump is the same technology as an air conditioner but can also run in reverse, heating a space rather than cooling it. A ducted heat pump can also use ducts to distribute heat around a house like a central HVAC system with a gas furnace, but is much more efficient. Another type of heat pump, the mini-split, can distribute refrigerant to different rooms to heat and cool them individually, allowing for each room to be set to different temperatures.

Unfortunately, no. Natural gas is a fossil fuel, created by decomposing organic matter similar to crude oil and coal. Burning natural gas releases heat-trapping carbon into the atmosphere. If natural gas leaks into the atmosphere without combusting (in the form of methane) it is more than 25 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide.