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A new volunteer group in the Falls Church area is helping homeowners navigate electric upgrades that advocates say can deliver cleaner indoor air, greater comfort and lower operating costs—not just reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Go Electric DMV’s certified coaches offered free guidance during a Jan. 23 drop-in event at Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Visitors learned about replacing gas-powered equipment, improving home comfort, planning electrification projects and using available tax benefits.
The group has about 16 volunteer coaches, all certified through the nonprofit Rewiring America and experienced in electrifying their own homes. Their projects include heat pumps, heat-pump water heaters, induction ranges, solar panels, insulation, energy audits and electric vehicles.
Rewiring America, founded in 2020, seeks to replace approximately 1 billion fossil-fuel-powered machines nationwide with electric alternatives. A Department of Energy study conducted by one of its founders found that consumer decisions account for nearly half of U.S. energy-related emissions.
Federal policy has helped accelerate that transition. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act committed at least $370 billion to rebates and tax incentives for clean-energy projects, including upgrades to homes and businesses.
Rewiring America subsequently developed a national coaching network to help consumers understand heat pumps, electric water heaters, induction cooking, EVs and other technologies. At one point, the network included 125 coaches in 24 states, with another 175 completing a four-week online course requiring more than eight hours of training. The program had recorded 32 consultations since launching the previous October.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Go Electric DMV began taking shape around June or July 2024. The informal organization had not yet applied for nonprofit status when co-founders David Stile and Bob Soule discussed its work at the library event.
Stile, a trained mechanical engineer who has worked as a customer-success director for a decade, described the organization as neighbors sharing lessons from their own home upgrades. Some volunteers are primarily motivated by climate concerns, he said, while others want newer technology, healthier homes or improved comfort and convenience.
The coaches do not replace licensed professionals. Stile said they refer homeowners to contractors for technical work, particularly complicated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning projects.
Their role begins earlier: helping residents understand their options before aging equipment fails.
Furnaces and water heaters have predictable service lives, Stile noted. Homeowners who check inspection reports, estimate how much time their equipment has left and speak with contractors in advance are more likely to get the replacement they want instead of making a rushed decision during a breakdown.
The group also does not encourage people to discard functioning appliances. Stile said electrification makes the most sense when existing equipment reaches the end of its useful life. Because a replacement may remain in service for years, that purchase can lock in its emissions and operating characteristics for the life of the device.
Beyond the library session, the volunteers have staffed information tables and participated in home showcases with organizations including the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. They also planned to appear at the Electric Homes Fair in Washington, hosted by Electrify DC.
Stile said consultations are deliberately low-pressure and tailored to each household’s priorities rather than built around promoting a particular product.
Questions About Heat Pumps Led to a Local Team
Stile serves on the City of Falls Church’s Environmental Sustainability Council, where he became more familiar with heat pumps and the city’s Clean Energy Transition goals under its Community Action Plan.
When considering a heat pump for his own home, he worried about cold-weather performance, comfort and cost. A connection through the Falls Church Climate Network put him in touch with a Rewiring America guide who helped him assess the technology and find contractors prepared to install it.
That experience led Stile to complete Rewiring America’s coaching course. He then began looking for a way to offer the same assistance beyond informal conversations with individual neighbors.
The guide who helped him was Soule, who later co-founded Go Electric DMV with him. The pair contacted other certified coaches across the Washington metropolitan area, attracting roughly 16 or 17 volunteers.
Stile said climate change remains an important motivation, particularly as a father of a toddler and a 5-year-old. But he emphasized that electric equipment can also appeal to people focused on efficiency, safety, comfort and modern features.
His own transportation choices reflect the group’s emphasis on replacing equipment when it makes practical sense. Stile mostly walks or uses a cargo e-bike, including for trips to his children’s daycare. He has kept an older car because he drives so little, though he said he would consider an EV if his transportation needs grew.
From an Electric Road Trip to Home Upgrades
Soule, a recently retired national security analyst, said he had worried about climate change for decades. He bought his first EV about 10 years earlier and, after retiring, traveled with his wife to all 51 national parks in the contiguous United States in an electric car. The 27,000-mile trip was intended to demonstrate that EVs were ready for extensive travel.
After returning in fall 2022, Soule became active with local climate organizations, including Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and began electrifying his home. He already owned two EVs but faced uncertainty when choosing residential equipment. His plumber advised against a heat-pump water heater and recommended retaining gas service.
A local Citizens’ Climate Lobby leader told Soule about Rewiring America’s first electric-coach course, then operating as a beta program. Soule initially enrolled to understand heat pumps, particularly their performance in cold weather.
After completing the course, he was one of four participants asked to serve as guides, similar to teaching assistants, for later groups. He eventually encouraged Stile—whom he had advised during a heat-pump purchase—to take the course as well.
Soule said firsthand experience is essential because every home presents different complications. While electrification sounds straightforward in theory, homeowners often encounter technical questions, unfamiliar equipment and contractors who prefer older systems.
He cited contractors and vendors resistant to newer technology as one of the largest barriers. Growing consumer demand, he said, can encourage more businesses to offer electric alternatives.
Savings Vary, but Cold-Weather Performance Impresses
Soule said he has no regrets about replacing his gas water heater with a hybrid heat-pump model. The equipment uses an efficient heat pump but includes electric resistance as backup during periods of high demand.
He estimated that it costs about half as much to operate as a gas water heater. With Inflation Reduction Act tax credits available at the time, he said it also cost less to purchase than a new gas unit would have.
His EVs have delivered clearer savings, costing roughly one-third as much to operate in his experience. The car used for the national parks trip needed no maintenance during the 27,000-mile journey and required none of the oil changes a gasoline vehicle would have needed.
Home heating costs have been more complicated because natural gas was inexpensive. Soule described his winter savings as mixed, though he expected the heat pump’s efficiency as an air conditioner to reduce summer cooling bills significantly.
The equipment also performed well in temperatures around 10 degrees, keeping the house warm without activating its electric-resistance backup.
Soule said those positive experiences can influence neighbors, friends and relatives. People have asked about his EVs, solar panels and heat pump, including whether the heating system remained effective during cold weather.
Health and Safety Drive the Push, Too
Removing combustion from the home is among Soule’s strongest motivations. He pointed to the risks associated with methane leaks, fire, carbon monoxide and fumes produced when fuels are burned indoors, particularly in kitchens.
Households with gas furnaces should have carbon-monoxide detectors, he said. He also expressed concern about the health effects of gas cooking on children, older adults and people with existing medical conditions.
For both founders, those immediate household benefits help broaden electrification beyond an argument focused solely on climate change.
Soule said the transition should not be framed primarily as a sacrifice. In his view, electric technologies can produce cleaner air, healthier homes, greater convenience, better comfort and a more efficient energy system while reducing reliance on combustion.