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How Climate Change Motivated a Career Change for Joe Strommen
Individual homeowners often ask what they can do to help combat climate change, as the problem is huge and the issue seems overwhelming. Rise, among many thought-leading organizations such as Rocky Mountain Institute, has been advocating for the electrification of buildings. Why? Because the electricity grid is getting cleaner and cleaner, as solar and wind have been replacing dirty fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.
Translated for homeowners, it means we need to switch from natural gas to electric-powered heating and appliances—which usually means your home heating system, water heater, stove, and sometimes clothes dryer. But wait: there are over 138 million housing units in the U.S., according to the U.S. census, so in order to make this transition, we’ll be needing people on the ground, in every city, doing this kind of work.
Rise sat down with Joe Strommen, the Founder of 2040 Energy, whose mission is to help people convert their natural gas-powered heating and water heating to electricity. Here’s his story.
1. Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got involved in the HVAC industry.
My professional background is actually in the tech industry, where I’ve worked as a software developer for about 15 years. But I’ve also been pretty involved in the climate movement for the last 4 years. I worked on a startup to create a crowdfunding marketplace for clean energy projects, I’ve volunteered with a few local environmental NGOs, and I serve on the City of Bloomington’s Sustainability Commission.
I got involved in the HVAC industry simply by plunging myself into it and building stuff in my own home! It’s not easy, because most manufacturers will only sell through their dealer network. But I found some that sell directly to homeowners, and others that were willing to take a chance on my project. So I built my first hydronic plumbing system, the 2040 Energy prototype system, in my own basement.
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The 2040 Energy system is a fully-integrated system for heating, cooling, and hot water. But you can still add components one at a time if you choose, starting with the air-source heat pump. And you will still get the full high-tech experience: energy and efficiency monitoring, automated diagnostics, and more.
9. Anything other caveats?
We’ve talked a lot about natural gas, but millions of people get their heat from propane or heating oil, which is much more expensive than natural gas. This makes electrification a lot more appealing. Pretty much anybody using these fuels for heat would save money with an electrified system; it’s a financial no-brainer.
We’ve also talked a lot about furnaces, but many homes do not have central ductwork: they are heated with boilers and radiators, so their situation is a little different. Most people with radiators are electrifying by installing mini-split heat pumps, which mount on the wall in each room to provide both cooling and heating. Then the boiler and radiators provide the backup heat. This works, but the unfortunate part is that there’s no coordination between the boiler and the mini-splits, so they sometimes work against each other. Many people find radiators to be a much more comfortable way to heat rather than warm air blowing out of the mini-split.
The 2040 Energy system can actually replace your boiler with a heat pump system, so you can power your radiators with clean, efficient, electric heat. There are only a few other niche products out there right now doing this, so I think we’re really creating some unique value in this space.
I’m installing in areas near Minneapolis and St. Paul, but I’m happy to help provide guidance for anybody that is working on electrifying their heating.
Melissa Rappaport Schifman
Melissa became the Twin Cities’ fifth LEED for Homes Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and completed the work necessary to get her own home LEED Gold Certified, the basis for her book, Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth, and Soul, (Skyhorse Publishing, August, 2018). With her corporate experience in finance, marketing, and business development, and an MBA and Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, Melissa has been providing sustainability advisory services to businesses, governmental agencies and non-profits, focusing on strategic and operational change that provide bottom-line financial returns. She has led the LEED certification of two million square feet of commercial buildings, written GRI-compliant Corporate Sustainability Reports, is a LEED Pro Reviewer and LEED mentor with the U.S. Green Building Council. She is the founder of Green Intention LLC where she writes about sustainable home living.
