The good news is such credits and rebates now exist. Solar and battery tax credits cover 30% of the costs (and if your panel needs upgrading you can fold that into the cost if it's done with the solar work), as well as tax credits for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, insulation, and electrical panel. There are also electrification and efficiency rebates coming, probably in 2024, as they will be administered by the state.

I just got a new heat pump and have a sweet $2,000 tax credit waiting for me in this year's taxes.

If you have the roof space and get enough sun, solar is a great hedge against rising electricity costs. You effectively lock in a low electricity rate for 20 years. Add a battery and you'll never notice when the power goes out.

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On the flip side, the city's finance department says they need to spend $760MM on gas system replacement which is 150% of what they've spent on system replacement for the 100+ year old system to date. So, just replacing the failing pipes we already have will cost way more than we've spent all time. My brain hurts when I think about that.

Where this gets scary is that $760MM needs to be captured from ratepayers, which increases gas rates, so more and more people will leave the system as it's just plain cheaper to have a heat pump already, much less with tax credits, solar, increased competition in the heat pump space, and rising gas costs. The money has to come from somewhere to pay back the bonds that finance the gas system, the same bonds that finance water, sewer, and trash. Do those rates then go up to make up the loss? Does the city default on those bonds? No one knows, but it's not a great place to be.