Bend Energy Smart

Learn about what electrification is, why it matters, and how to start.

Building electrification means replacing equipment that uses natural gas, propane, or other fossil fuels with electric alternatives. In a house or apartment, this equipment includes heating systems, clothes dryers, water heaters, stoves, and ovens.

Electrification is one component of building decarbonization, which leads to lower carbon emissions, healthier indoor air quality, and stable utility costs.

A heat pump is a type of heating and cooling system that uses less energy and emits fewer carbon emissions than a traditional system, making it a climate-friendly solution to controlling the temperature of our homes. Installing a heat pump is one way to reduce carbon emissions and ensure your home uses energy efficiently.

Instead of generating heat, like a furnace or boiler does, a heat pump uses electricity to move heat from one place to another. Because they don’t generate heat, heat pumps are highly efficient and use significantly less energy than a furnace or boiler!

Heat pumps transfer heat using a system that’s similar to a refrigerator or an air conditioning unit. In the summer, they keep your house cool by absorbing heat inside the house and releasing it outdoors. In the winter, the process is reversed, and the heat pump can absorb heat from the outside and bring it indoors.

It might seem surprising that heat pumps can use this process to warm your home in a long, cold winter – but they do! During winter, the outdoor unit of the heat pump operates at very low temperatures so that it can still absorb heat and transfer it inside the home.

Before installing a heat pump, a home should be properly weatherized and sealed with insulation to prevent air from escaping. A weatherized home takes less energy to heat in the winter and cool in the summer because it retains indoor air more effectively.

Induction cooking is a faster, cleaner, and safer way to cook using electricity and magnetism. Instead of heating the burner, induction sends energy directly into your pan, so the pan heats up, not the cooktop or the air around it. That means more control, less wasted energy, and a better cooking experience overall.

Cooks faster: Induction can boil water nearly twice as fast as gas, saving time on everyday meals.
Precise, instant control: Temperature changes happen immediately—no waiting for a burner to heat up or cool down.
Healthier for your home: Unlike gas stoves, induction doesn’t release harmful air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide or carbon monoxide into your kitchen.
Safer for families: No open flame, less leftover heat, and automatic shutoff when a pan isn’t detected—all reducing burn and fire risks.
Cooler kitchens: Because heat goes straight into the pan, not the air, kitchens stay more comfortable while you cook.
Easy to clean: The smooth glass surface wipes clean in seconds, with no grates or burners for spills to bake onto.
Climate‑friendly: Induction uses electricity instead of fossil gas, and as the grid gets cleaner, your cooking does too.