David’s clean energy transition made his home safer

For David, a research scientist living in California, the journey toward clean energy started with a wake-up call. In 2020, wildfires from the Lightning Complex fire turned the skies red, blanketed the air with smoke, and left his community facing power outages and uncertainty. That experience made climate change feel real, and David realized he wanted more control over his home’s energy, safety, and costs.

David sees clean energy as the safest choice. When his old propane-powered furnace started leaking gas, he replaced it with an electric heat pump—not just for efficiency, but for his family’s safety. “Knowing that there’s not a harmful chemical that could leak into my home at any time is a huge relief,” he says. Thinking about local wildfires he mentioned that “not having to worry if the fire department is going to show up and shut off my gas, or if my house is randomly going to explode—that helps a lot.” 

As a researcher, he crunched the numbers and saw that by investing in solar panels, a heat pump, and an electric vehicle, he could become energy independent. He worked hard to ensure he was secure and found it to be a lot of fun to gamify his transition. He calls it a “maximization game”, adjusting when he runs appliances to get the most out of his solar power. He enjoys checking his app to see how much energy he generates and how much he is saving, describing it as “kind of fun to try to get the most efficiency benefit”. He wants to continue his transition by installing a home battery for backup power as he’s determined to keep improving his home’s energy independence.

Now, David shares his story to help others see the benefits of making smart, energy saving choices while protecting the environment. “Solar is dope. Everybody should get it,” he says. He believes in taking personal responsibility for reducing emissions and sees his home upgrades as a direct way to make a difference. “I wanted to take the steps that would have the most impact on cutting my own carbon emissions,” he explains. “It’s great when doing the right thing for the environment also happens to be the right thing for your well-being.”