Vijay Modi, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University and an Earth Institute faculty member, and his research group are studying how to decarbonize heating. ............ run on electricity—because as more and more electricity is sourced from renewable energy, “it is much easier and affordable to make electricity green than to make a green fuel.”

Electrified heating is important for the rest of the nation, too. To avert the catastrophic impacts of climate change, we must reduce our carbon emissions to zero as soon as possible. According to a 2018 report by the Rocky Mountain Institute, reaching “deep decarbonization” goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 75 percent or more will entail, among other measures, eliminating most of the emissions produced by the burning of natural gas, oil or propane in American homes and businesses for heating and hot water.

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