A homeowner saving for rooftop solar received an unexpected suggestion from commenters on the r/sustainability community.
With nuclear power supplying 54% of the household's electricity mix, visitors argued that replacing a gas-powered vehicle with an electric one could be a more effective first step toward cutting pollution.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, the homeowner described the challenge of choosing between two major purchases. They were looking to reduce their household's carbon footprint in the most financially responsible way.
Buying replacement vehicles would mean the household would need more time to save for solar. The two-car household pays an average of $150 a month for electricity, and its gas-powered vehicles get about 38 and 33 miles per gallon.
The homeowner reported that, in addition to nuclear, their electricity mix also includes 5% renewables and 2% hydropower. Because much of that electricity already comes from sources that don't burn fossil fuels to generate power, commenters suggested focusing on gasoline use first.
"The cleaner your existing electricity mix, the more impactful eliminating combustion for electrification will be, and the less impactful adding more renewable generation will be, and vice-versa," one commenter explained.
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More background
The household drives each car about 10,000 miles a year. If they purchased an electric vehicle, the homeowner said it would become their primary car, likely covering closer to 15,000 miles annually.
How much driving shifted to an EV would help determine how much gasoline the household could avoid using.
The homeowner intends to buy used replacements, just as they did with both current vehicles. The existing vehicles also differ in age. The 38-mpg car is 11 years old with 100,000 miles, while the 33-mpg car is six years old with around 80,000 miles.
The 2,600-square-foot house is new, well insulated, and fully electric.
The original poster said giving up a car isn't feasible for the household. One person commutes while the other works remotely, and they have neither walkable destinations nor access to public transportation.
What can be done?
Commenters recommended checking the utility's electricity generation mix alongside the household's consumption in kilowatt-hours, rather than relying on the $150 monthly bill alone.
One suggestion was to roughly compare household electricity consumption with driving. The OP could compare those figures with a prospective EV's energy use.
One commenter raised a possible way to preserve the solar savings.
"If you can find a lease for an ev that's less than your monthly spend on gas (Chevy Bolt has some good offerings) it won't slow the process down," they advised.
Planning for an EV's additional electricity demand need not wait until you buy the vehicle, one highly upvoted commenter advised.
"If you get solar first, mention your intend to purchase an EV soon, that way your house is future-proofed." they wrote.
The same user seemed to lean towards going for the EV first.
"Vehicle combustion engines are also much less efficient than power plants," they noted. "So there's that to consider."
Where can I learn more?
Deciding whether to buy an EV or install solar first also means looking at charging costs and future electricity needs.
• A homeowner weighed whether night-charged batteries could beat solar under utility EV rates.
• An Australian homeowner considered solar, batteries, and an EV to help fund an early retirement.
• A California DIYer says a $1,200 solar array can charge EVs for 2.3 cents/kWh.
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