In a case of ironically awkward timing, a handful of climate activists called on the Denver City Council earlier this week to mandate that future homes in the city be all electric. As reported by The Gazette, the appeal was directed to a council committee deliberating changes to the city building code – only a day ahead of an arctic blast forecast for the city and entire state.

“We have to continue the equitable transition to good affordable housing that is pollution free, and this starts with the phase-out of gas in new construction,” said resident Megan Hebling. “The enormous cost of maintaining the city’s gas infrastructure is already driving up costs for working families.”

Added resident Anne Kramer, “Electric homes are simply better…They are more efficient, resulting in lower energy bills, they provide more comfort, they have healthier indoor air quality and they’re cleaner and better for the environment.”

As noted in The Gazette’s report, Kramer went on to claim it is cheaper to build an all-electric home, saving $800 in building costs and $300 annually. 

The impact on the up-front cost of going electric-only is unclear. The cost of building homes that accommodate either approach – mixed gas-electric and all electric – is more expensive, builders say. That only stands to reason as a house would have to have that much more hardware – some of which never will be used either way.

What seems a lot clearer is the lack of any practical alternative to natural gas for heating homes, businesses, offices, schools or any other buildings in Colorado’s climate. Whether through gas-fired forced air, or gas-fired hot water circulated through radiators, natural gas is by far the most practical, cost-effective way to heat a home in a Colorado winter.

Never mind during the subzero cold fronts that blow in from time to time. Like this week’s.

Imagine trying to heat a Colorado home on a day like today with one of the electric heat pumps designed to ward off the mild winter chill in a place like Dallas or Phoenix. The mere thought makes you shudder.

And that’s not to mention the strain of going all electric on the state and regional power grid and its power-generation capacity – or lack thereof. Colorado’s energy infrastructure, like much of the country’s, just doesn’t have the carrying capacity to generate and deliver that much megawattage.

It also, of course, would mean burning that much more natural gas or coal as that is still how most of the state’s and nation’s electricity is generated.

We probably can’t expect climate activists who fret about incrementally rising sea levels to put their fears in perspective. Those for whom ideology trumps energy never will see reason.

But the rest of the community should be more thoughtful about what feel-good mandates are imposed on buildings – lest they turn into feel-bad realties.

It would be wise to maintain a balance among fuels in our state’s energy portfolio. Extreme-green policies based on hopes of locally influencing global climate only will leave Denver in the deep freeze.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board