Replacing gas-fired hot water heaters, clothes dryers, and kitchen stoves with electrical appliances usually requires running a high voltage, high current circuit to the power distribution panel, especially in the U.S., where 120 volt lighting circuits simply cannot provide sufficient energy for these power-hungry devices. A new generation of alternative appliances are not only more energy-efficient, but many can be run on regular 120 volt circuits. These include:
- Heat pump water heaters
- Heat pump clothes dryers
- Stoves with power peaking batteries
Using the batteries in an electric vehicle for backup power during grid power outages is discussed, as well as propane for long-term-storable backup heat and power. Earlier posts in this series discussed air-source heat pumps for heating and air conditioning smart (prioritising) circuit breaker panels for routing available current to high-power devices.