{"id":10748,"date":"2024-05-16T20:07:11","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T20:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=10748"},"modified":"2024-05-16T20:59:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T20:59:21","slug":"the-cold-hard-facts-about-the-cost-of-eliminating-fossil-fuels-in-wisconsin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=10748","title":{"rendered":"The cold, hard facts about the cost of eliminating fossil fuels in Wisconsin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This post originally appeared at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/the-cold-hard-facts-about-the-cost-of-eliminating-fossil-fuels-in-wisconsin\/\">https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/the-cold-hard-facts-about-the-cost-of-eliminating-fossil-fuels-in-wisconsin\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>And a reality check regarding what even progressives are willing to pay<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The next time your progressive friends in, say, Superior or Eau Claire or Green Bay argue that saving the globe necessitates eliminating fossil fuel use by 2050 and that they intend to do it, ask them a couple simple questions:\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"689\" src=\"https:\/\/e74sq7k37a8.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/The-cold-hard-facts-about-the-cost-of-eliminating-fossil-fuels-in-Wisconsin-1024x689.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51695\" style=\"width:399px;height:auto\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>How much are you willing to pay on a monthly basis to combat climate change?\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>How much do you think it will cost to just stop using a natural gas furnace, the kind used by about two-thirds of Wisconsinites, and switch over to a heat pump run on electricity?\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Make it easy on them. Tell them to forget all the other costs of eliminating\u00a0gas- or diesel-powered engines, about price hikes for everything you buy that\u2019s manufactured in factories that use fossil fuels or that\u2019s shipped on boats or planes or trucks that burn oil or diesel or some other sort of refined petroleum. Don\u2019t even bring up the fact that a lot of electricity is produced in power plants that themselves burn gas or coal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Make the first question specific, the same way the American Enterprise Institute\u2019s Survey Center on American Life (SCAL) did in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americansurveycenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Survey-Center-on-American-Life-Political-Coalitions-Survey-April-2023-Topline-Questionnaire-FINAL.pdf#page=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a survey of more than 6,000 Americans<\/a> in the spring of 2023:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuppose a proposal was on the ballot next year to add a monthly fee to consumers\u2019 monthly electricity bill to combat climate change. If this proposal passes, it would cost your household $10 every month. Would you vote in favor of this monthly fee to combat change, or would you vote against this monthly fee?\u201d they asked.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The result: Only 26% would vote in favor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What about $40 per month? Only 15% in favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Seventy-five per month?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The percentage of Americans willing to pay $75 every month dropped to only 9%, according to the SCAL survey. Sixty-nine percent would vote against the $75 fee, and another 22% either didn\u2019t know or declined to answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now for the cold, hard facts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It would cost on average in Wisconsin an additional $172 per month to use a heat pump rather than a natural gas furnace in a new house, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/the-cost-of-outlawing-fossil-fuel-heat-in-wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to economists<\/a> who built a model for the Badger Institute to estimate those increased operating costs. And it would cost a lot more than that up north.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/e74sq7k37a8.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/shutterstock_2242493361-1024x683.jpg?strip=all&amp;lossy=1&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51709\" style=\"width:385px;height:auto\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Heat pump in cold climate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This makes total sense. Heat pumps are sometimes described as \u201cair conditioners that can be operated in reverse.\u201d Popular in some warmer parts of the country, they basically extract heat from the outside air and use it to raise the indoor air temperature.<\/p>\n<p>The colder the weather, it follows, the greater the need for electricity to power the pump. When the outdoor temperature is down below 3 degrees, in fact, you also need a backup, something like an electric heating element.<\/p>\n<p>In Superior \u2013 a really cold place in the winter \u2013 the added cost of using a heat pump in a new home rather than a gas furnace is $251 per month, according to the paper, \u201cThe cost of outlawing fossil fuel heat in Wisconsin,\u201d by economists Andrew Hanson, a visiting fellow here at the Badger Institute, and Zackary Hawley.<\/p>\n<p>In Milwaukee, a relatively warmer locale, one where the economists assume you would not need backup heat, the increase would be $113 per month. In Green Bay, $150. In Eau Claire, $189.<\/p>\n<p>Those numbers are based on a 2,500-square-foot home heated to only 65 degrees. Detailed explanations regarding assumptions about running time of furnaces and heat pumps, the cost of electricity versus natural gas, and even such things as \u201cshell efficiency\u201d of homes, are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/the-cost-of-outlawing-fossil-fuel-heat-in-wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">available in the paper<\/a> at www.badgerinstitute.org.<\/p>\n<p>Heat pumps, it\u2019s true, are cheaper to install. Lots of people use them in warmer climates. But the full additional cost over 15 years of a de facto heat pump mandate expressed in today\u2019s dollars \u2013 including initial cost, maintenance and operation \u2013 would still be $19,976 on average in Wisconsin. In Superior, the most northern city the economists modeled, that would rise up to an estimated $29,837.<\/p>\n<p>Neither the economists nor the Badger Institute are arguing against heat pumps, which warm as\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/consumption\/residential\/data\/2020\/state\/pdf\/State%2520Space%2520Heating.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">many as 40%<\/a>\u202fof homes in states such as Alabama or the Carolinas. And we wholeheartedly support finding responses to climate change that don\u2019t destroy the economy that we need to advance realistic solutions.<\/p>\n<p>Eliminating fossil fuels quickly and completely isn\u2019t anywhere close to realistic.\u00a0 Americans, regardless of political identity, can\u2019t or won\u2019t pay.<\/p>\n<p>Ruy Teixeira, a nonresident senior fellow at AEI, has pointed out that, in that survey, independent voters are opposed to a $20 monthly levy to combat climate change by 50 points.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven voters who currently support Biden against Trump and those who voted for Biden in 2020 move into opposition at this point,\u201d he wrote recently.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s at only $20 per month. The true cost of merely switching away from natural gas furnaces in Wisconsin to heat pumps would be five or eight or even 12 times that, depending how cold it is.<\/p>\n<p>After you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/facts-should-matter-more-in-climate-change-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">show your progressive friends the facts<\/a>, maybe ask them one last question.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not willing to pay, who do you think should?<\/p>\n<p><em>Mike Nichols is the President of the Badger Institute. Permission to reprint is granted as long as the author and Badger Institute are properly cited.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"gf_browser_unknown gform_wrapper gravity-theme gform-theme--no-framework\" data-form-theme=\"gravity-theme\" data-form-index=\"1\" id=\"gform_wrapper_21\">\n<div id=\"gf_21\" class=\"gform_anchor\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gform_heading\">\n<h2 class=\"gform_title\">Submit a comment<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gform_description\">\n<p class=\"gform_required_legend\">&#8220;<span class=\"gfield_required gfield_required_asterisk\">*<\/span>&#8221; indicates required fields<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"gf_invisible ginput_recaptchav3\" data-sitekey=\"6LeuCC4pAAAAAECxtc6sr-MNi7Rw8mnOTxb-_ZsL\" data-tabindex=\"0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gform-body gform_body\">\n<div id=\"gform_fields_21\" class=\"gform_fields top_label form_sublabel_above description_above validation_below\">\n<fieldset id=\"field_21_1\" class=\"gfield gfield--type-name gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_above gfield--no-description field_description_above field_validation_below gfield_visibility_visible\" data-js-reload=\"field_21_1\">\n<legend class=\"gfield_label gform-field-label gfield_label_before_complex\">Your name<span class=\"gfield_required\"><span class=\"gfield_required gfield_required_asterisk\">*<\/span><\/span><\/legend>\n<div class=\"ginput_complex ginput_container ginput_container--name no_prefix has_first_name no_middle_name has_last_name no_suffix gf_name_has_2 ginput_container_name gform-grid-row\" id=\"input_21_1\">\n<p>                            <span id=\"input_21_1_3_container\" class=\"name_first gform-grid-col gform-grid-col--size-auto\"><br \/>\n                                                    <label for=\"input_21_1_3\" class=\"gform-field-label gform-field-label--type-sub \">First<\/label><\/p>\n<p>                                                <\/span><\/p>\n<p>                            <span id=\"input_21_1_6_container\" class=\"name_last gform-grid-col gform-grid-col--size-auto\"><br \/>\n                                                            <label for=\"input_21_1_6\" class=\"gform-field-label gform-field-label--type-sub \">Last<\/label><\/p>\n<p>                                                        <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n<div id=\"field_21_2\" class=\"gfield gfield--type-email gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_above gfield--no-description field_description_above field_validation_below gfield_visibility_visible\" data-js-reload=\"field_21_2\"><label class=\"gfield_label gform-field-label\" for=\"input_21_2\">Your email<span class=\"gfield_required\"><span class=\"gfield_required gfield_required_asterisk\">*<\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"ginput_container ginput_container_email\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"field_21_3\" class=\"gfield gfield--type-textarea gfield--width-full gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_above gfield--no-description field_description_above field_validation_below gfield_visibility_visible\" data-js-reload=\"field_21_3\"><label class=\"gfield_label gform-field-label\" for=\"input_21_3\">Your comment<span class=\"gfield_required\"><span class=\"gfield_required gfield_required_asterisk\">*<\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"ginput_container ginput_container_textarea\"><textarea name=\"input_3\" id=\"input_21_3\" class=\"textarea small\" rows=\"10\" cols=\"50\"><\/textarea><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gform_footer top_label\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"akismet-fields-container\" data-prefix=\"ak_\"><label>\u0394<textarea name=\"ak_hp_textarea\" cols=\"45\" rows=\"8\"><\/textarea><\/label>document.getElementById( &#8220;ak_js_2&#8221; 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} }]);                if (event.defaultPrevented) {                return;         }        const gformWrapperDiv = document.getElementById( &#8220;gform_wrapper_21&#8221; );        if ( gformWrapperDiv ) {            const visibilitySpan = document.createElement( &#8220;span&#8221; );            visibilitySpan.id = &#8220;gform_visibility_test_21&#8221;;            gformWrapperDiv.insertAdjacentElement( &#8220;afterend&#8221;, visibilitySpan );        }        const visibilityTestDiv = document.getElementById( &#8220;gform_visibility_test_21&#8221; );        let postRenderFired = false;                function triggerPostRender() {            if ( postRenderFired ) {                return;            }            postRenderFired = true;            jQuery( document ).trigger( &#8216;gform_post_render&#8217;, [21, current_page] );            gform.utils.trigger( { event: &#8216;gform\/postRender&#8217;, native: false, data: { formId: 21, currentPage: current_page } } );            if ( visibilityTestDiv ) {                visibilityTestDiv.parentNode.removeChild( visibilityTestDiv );            }        }        function debounce( func, wait, immediate ) {            var timeout;            return function() {                var context = this, args = arguments;                var later = function() {                    timeout = null;                    if ( !immediate ) func.apply( context, args );                };                var callNow = immediate &amp;&amp; !timeout;                clearTimeout( timeout );                timeout = setTimeout( later, wait );                if ( callNow ) func.apply( context, args );            };        }        const debouncedTriggerPostRender = debounce( function() {            triggerPostRender();        }, 200 );        if ( visibilityTestDiv &amp;&amp; visibilityTestDiv.offsetParent === null ) {            const observer = new MutationObserver( ( mutations ) =&gt; {                mutations.forEach( ( mutation ) =&gt; {                    if ( mutation.type === &#8216;attributes&#8217; &amp;&amp; visibilityTestDiv.offsetParent !== null ) {                        debouncedTriggerPostRender();                        observer.disconnect();                    }                });            });            observer.observe( document.body, {                attributes: true,                childList: false,                subtree: true,                attributeFilter: [ &#8216;style&#8217;, &#8216;class&#8217; ],            });        } else {            triggerPostRender();        }    } );} );<br \/>\n\/* ]]&gt; *\/<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/the-cold-hard-facts-about-the-cost-of-eliminating-fossil-fuels-in-wisconsin\/\">The cold, hard facts about the cost of eliminating fossil fuels in Wisconsin<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\">Badger Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/the-cold-hard-facts-about-the-cost-of-eliminating-fossil-fuels-in-wisconsin\/ And a reality check regarding what even progressives are&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-badger-institute"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10749,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10748\/revisions\/10749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}