It’s essential

These days gas seems to be falling out of favor, however, the transition completely away from gas will be a slow one. New homes are generally all-electric but, for those of us with existing homes, the switch away from natural gas is costly and time-consuming. In my own home, I’ve made substantial reductions in our use of natural gas by replacing our old water heater with a tankless one (that still uses gas), and by replacing our gas furnace with an electric heat pump. Going farther would involve replacing both my stovetop (something I am contemplating) and my tankless water heater. This last would be a big step, one that, for various reasons concerning the configuration of my house, would be difficult to take. Thus, for now, our gas line remains. But gas, which many once considered essential, is rapidly becoming optional.

When it comes to essential utilities, electricity may be king. It already powers much in our lives and, thanks to the increasing popularity of electric cars and the aforementioned efforts to reduce our use of natural gas, should be even more important in the future. Of course, putting all of our eggs into the electricity basket leaves us vulnerable when the power goes out. However, we have options. Historically, people have used generators to keep the power flowing. Increasingly, though, solar panels are appearing on residential rooftops. These work great when the grid is functioning, but become useless when the connection to the electrical grid is severed. Useless, that is, until they are paired with a large battery. Such batteries have yet to really hit the mainstream, given their high cost and the fact that battery technology is still evolving. But, they not only provide backup power when the grid connection is lost, they also help out in normal times: charging by day and powering the home at night. This essentially takes the home “off the grid” for all but those times when, due to a lack of sunshine, the batteries cannot be fully charged.

Not quite as essential, although rapidly climbing the charts, is a connection to the internet. Most homes these days have a connection, whether it is through copper phone lines, a fiber-optic connection, a connection with a cable TV provider, such as Comcast, or via our cellular network. Our need to remain connected these days is so strong that many (most?) of us have both a local connection at home and a wireless connection through a cellular network provider. I have both, ensuring that I have a high-speed connection at home for web surfing, video calls and for the streaming of TV shows and movies. My somewhat less capable cellular connection is invaluable when I’m on the go, while occasionally serving as backup to my wired connection. When the power goes out, and my home networking equipment goes down, I stay functional either by using my smartphone directly or by tethering my battery-powered laptop or tablet to it.

These days, when storms approach, I make sure that my flashlights have batteries, that we have plenty of candles, and that my most-needed electronic equipment is fully charged. I then wait, hoping that if we have an outage, it isn’t a long one. In the meantime, I’m contemplating the installation of a whole-house battery. I’m not yet ready to pull the trigger on that — the cost keeps me waiting — but I clearly see one in my not-too-distant future.

Which utilities we consider to be essential have changed somewhat over the years. Water is life, or so they say; a reliable source of clean water remains essential. Electricity is increasingly important, making me glad that we have ever more options to ensure a steady supply. As for the newcomer — the internet — for most of us, some sort of data connection has rapidly become essential to living in today’s world. This, I must admit, is something that I, who have been into tech for pretty much my entire life, wouldn’t have guessed as recently as 20 years ago. 

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.