We're proud of our collaborative work to spearhead and oversee Electrify Missoula: Missoula's initiative to transition to a healthier, more affordable clean energy future. We've highlighted some of our program work below. For details on how to go electric, please visit our program-specific website:

Check out: electrifymissoula.org

The Problem

In Missoula, many buildings rely on methane gas (aka "natural" gas) for space and water heating & cooling, cooking, laundry and much more. As a result, our building sector is a major contributor to climate change. Combined, methane gas emissions (residential, commercial and industrial) account for ~23% of our community's emissions.

​Getting off fossil gas and going electric, alongside transitioning to renewable electricity sources, is a critical pathway to reach urgent climate targets and protect public health.  Around the country, communities are moving toward all-electric buildings and we are part of this movement.

The Opportunity

Recent federal legislation has opened up huge opportunities to offset the costs of going electric (woohoo for the Inflation Reduction Act)!!!

From upgrading to more efficient, all-electric appliances, to improving weatherization, to getting EV ready or adding solar, there are tax credits and local incentives stacking up.

​Before you start replacing appliances, it's critical to make a plan to ensure you're doing the best thing for your comfort and pocket book. Click the picture of our electrified home below to learn more about what to electrify.
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Click to learn more about what to electrify on our Electrify Missoula website.

Methane's Warming Potential

​Methane's lifetime in the atmosphere is much shorter than CO2, but it is more efficient at trapping radiation than CO2. Pound for pound, the comparative impact of methane is 25 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period.1

Studies over the past decade, and especially in the past few years, have shown that:
  1. ​Methane gas leaks at all stages from drilling to end use.
  2. This methane is dangerous to breath.
  3. The "end use" is significantly raising the leakage rate to over 2% of all methane. 

Methane gas is, simply put, a fossil fuel with significant global warming potential. It must be addressed and a great place to start is by removing it from our buildings.

The Health Connection

Combustion from methane-powered ("natural gas") appliances, including HVAC systems, water heaters and gas stoves, can lead to indoor air pollution levels that exceed EPA’s legal limits for outdoor air pollution – and these appliances are responsible for 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions.

Plus, these appliances are found to leak methane even when turned off.

We don’t regulate indoor air the same way we have standards for outdoor pollution. Yet we spend up to 90% of our time indoors. Numerous studies have linked burning methane gas in our homes with increases in childhood asthma, dementia and some blood cancers. Visit our Electrify Missoula health page for more.

Building(s) for the Future

Electrification is a key strategy under our broader Building(s) for the Future program. Learn more about our comprehensive view of buildings here.

Take a Deeper Dive at ElectrifyMissoula.org!

​Electrify Missoula is a collaborative effort of Climate Smart Missoula, Missoula County, and the City of Missoula.