WASHINGTON - A loose line of people snaked from a doorway in the side of a cargo truck. One young boy wandered over to examine several bales of hay stacked nearby while others waiting craned their necks to get a peek inside. A small sign in the shape of a barn stuck over the open door read, “Petting Zoo.” But the queuing visitors weren’t there to meet pigs, goats or sheep. What they wanted was hands-on experience with a different kind of beast: heat pumps. “We have heat pump everything,” said Vanessa Bertelli, head of the nonprofit Electrify DC, as she walked through the D.C. Armory, an indoor arena, on a recent Saturday. To her right, a showcase of two brands of heat pump water heaters. In another exhibit, a heat pump dryer. Inside the “petting zoo,” a converted truck designed to look like the interior of a home, heat pumps protruded from the walls. At this fair, instead of pony rides, games of chance and fried food, visitors took electric bicycles and scooters for a spin, watched cooking demonstrations on induction stoves, and learned about other ways to make their homes and lives more climate-friendly. The event - which brought together nonprofits, local government entities, industry groups, manufacturers and contractors - is the latest example of how some cities and electrification groups are hoping to push homeowners and renters toward adopting greener technology. To help fairgoers more easily find what they were looking for, the event was set up like a house: induction stoves in the kitchen area, solar panels and EV charging information in the garage, and a laundry space for heat pump dryers. The U.S. residential sector accounts for about 20 percent of the country’s carbon emissions, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Much of that is generated by air conditioning, space heating and water heating. While low-carbon and energy efficient appliances are making inroads in some... |