Javier Sierra
Posted January 30, 2025
When we talk about pollution, we immediately associate it with outdoor air. However, we often forget that the threat also lives at home, that the proverbial call is coming from inside the house.
Pollution from fossil fuel appliances we use to heat our homes and water and to dry our clothes currently emit more than half a million tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its precursors outside our homes each year. Air pollution in general disproportionately impacts Latinos with devastating consequences for the health of my community, especially our children. A Harvard University study found that air pollution in predominantly Latino zip codes was 14 percent higher than in mostly white areas. And when it comes to indoor pollution, Latinos are 20 percent more exposed than the national average.
No matter where it comes from, fossil fuel pollution is deadly. Particulate matter, one of its major components, contains microscopic solids that reach the most remote corners of the lungs, gaining direct access to the blood stream. This worsens asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, cancer and even premature death.
We all face a severe problem, but let me give you a reason to breathe easier. A new Rewiring America report revealed the benefits to the public health of electrifying the country’s homes. The study found that such electrification would remarkably improve outdoor air quality, preventing every year:
- 3,400 premature deaths
- 1,300 hospital admissions and ER visits
- 220,000 asthma attacks and
- And the loss of 670,000 days of reduced activity or missed work
Moreover, the report found that converting America’s heating, drying, and water heating from older fossil fuel and inefficient electric appliances to modern, more efficient heat pumps will result in about $40 billion in health benefits every year. It also shows that electrification, combined with an electricity grid that is continuously getting cleaner, will reduce total outdoor air pollution from particulate matter by 300,000 tons a year—the equivalent of taking 50 million conventional cars off the road.
“By making investments in residential electrification and passing policies that make it easier for households to choose these electric appliances, especially for households in disadvantaged and low- to moderate-income communities, policymakers can improve community health and reduce outdoor air pollution, in addition to reducing energy bills and lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” the study concludes.
For the first time in history, the country’s consumers have billions of dollars at their disposal to acquire clean appliances and improve the efficiency of their homes through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). For example, to buy a new heat pump to cool or heat up a home, the IRA offers 30 percent in tax credits on the price of the appliance. In some states, it also offers an $840 rebate in the price of an electric or induction stove. In general, families who benefit from the IRA can save more than $1,000 annually.
Rewiring America offers a bilingual calculator to find out how much money you can save by undertaking improvements inside and outside your homes.
For a community like mine, besieged by both indoor and outdoor pollution, efficient electric appliances and clean electricity is a recipe for better health.
Javier Sierra is a Rewiring America spokesperson.
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