Industry gaslighting campaigns are nothing new. Polluters usually rely on this tactic to persuade people in power and the public to depend on antiquated technology and energy or fall for an empty environmentally-friendly promise. The most egregious example of this is natural gas, a fossil fuel that releases pollution with more heat-trapping power than coal. Natural gas was sold to us as a cleaner alternative (it’s not) as well as a cheap fuel source (it isn’t). Bottomline, clean energy like solar and wind is more affordable than fossil fuels, and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act makes removing polluting gas appliances from our homes more affordable than ever.
Polluters know they can no longer compete with the affordability benefits of clean energy and electrification, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to convince customers otherwise.
Case study: Washington Gas(lighting) Marketing
A gas utility company, Washington Gas, has launched a marketing campaign claiming customers can save hundreds on their electric bills by upgrading or buying new gas powered appliances like stoves and furnaces.
This marketing campaign is misleading because they offer cost “savings” that pale in comparison to what electric appliances (same type of appliance but powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels) can offer to households. Electric appliances tend to be more efficient than gas, reduce pollution outside and inside your home, and can be powered by clean energy sources like solar. Not only are they far more environmentally friendly than anything the natural gas utility provides, the Inflation Reduction Act creates rebates and tax incentives that can save customers thousands by switching to electric appliances. Despite the half truths peddled by companies like Washington Gas, it is cheaper to both buy electric appliances as well as operate them in our homes.
So why does Washington Gas care what appliances you get? Why isn’t Washington Gas letting their current and potential customers know about the real cost savings options? The answer is that their business model – as is true for gas providers like them – is dependent on acquiring more customers. For Washington Gas, more customers equals more profits. They have a financial incentive to distract the public from substantive cost savings.
Since Washington Gas won’t provide the full context about the benefits of electric appliances, we will. Here’s a list of reasons to ignore tempting, but misleading, offers by sponsored by natural gas providers:
- Gas appliances must be hooked up to a gas line which often comes with an additional bill – it's a $12 minimum bill for Washington Gas customers!
- Gas appliances rely on fossil fuel sources like natural gas to operate. The price of natural gas is volatile because it’s influenced by international markets and forces. Recently, the price of natural gas has nearly doubled, and utilities tend to pass these costs on to customers, raising their minimum bills exponentially over time.
- Heat Pumps (the electric version of a furnace/ air conditioner) can be more than three times more efficient than its gas counterparts. Higher energy efficiency results in lower electric bills.
- Gas appliances require burning fossil fuels that can release toxic chemicals inside your home and impact your health. Electric appliances do not release any chemicals that put your health at risk.
- By 2023, it will be far cheaper to buy electric appliances because of the Inflation Reduction Act. There are thousands (which, last I checked, is more than mere hundreds) in cost savings through rebates and tax incentives that enable households to ditch gas appliances in the most affordable way possible. You can find out just how much cost savings are up for grabs by using this IRA calculator from Rewiring America!
Bottomline, we all know in our hearts that polluters care more about money than anything else. This is certainly true for the natural gas industry. Washington Gas’ marketing campaign is just another example of how the industry relies on half-truths and falsehoods to squeeze out more profits from the public, even if that means shackling their customers to ever-increasing electric bills.
The reality is that transitioning off of fossil fuels benefits our planet, our health, and our wallets. We are less than two months away from being able to tap into true cost savings. Don’t let polluters convince you otherwise.