Let's Play ... The Game of Life: Electrified 

Game Rules

WHO CAN PLAY Anyone. For all ages, and households and families of all sizes.

OBJECT OF THE GAME Do your part to tackle global climate change by slashing household carbon pollution.

SETUP We are in the early stages of the greatest industrial revolution since the invention of the steam engine: the transition from an economy based on coal, oil, and gas to one based on sunlight, wind, and other renewable energy resources.

To decarbonize American society, we will have to build a billion new machines to transport us from place to place, cook our food, control our indoor temperatures, heat our water, wash our clothes, and generate and store our energy. Ultimately, all the fundamentals of modern life will have plugs—and each of those plugs will deliver clean energy electrons.

In this game, you’ll explore how to make choices on the path to electrification. Each turn gets you closer to the goal of zero carbon pollution.

HOW TO WIN This is a cooperative game—the only way to win is to win together. The more players involved, the quicker we can build demand for renewable energy and clean appliances and vehicles. More demand means more jobs in manufacturing and lower prices too. It’s a win-win-win.

Part 1: Home

Home Clean Home

Decarbonizing your residence is only part of the larger movement to break our addiction to dirty fuels. But you can make a real difference at home. Proceed onward to learn the choice points. If you rent, head to Renters’ Corner.

USER GUIDE: HOME ELECTRIFICATION Learn tips and tricks for decarbonizing your home.

Become a Power Plant

Since 2010, the price of a home rooftop solar-energy system has fallen dramatically, from a price per watt of about $6 to $3.25 today. For about $18,000, you can install a system that will generate all the electricity you need. Many companies offer loans and other financing. Most people pay off their system in less than 10 years.

IRA INCENTIVE Under the Inflation Reduction Act, you can receive up to a 30 percent tax credit on rooftop solar systems.

STORE YOUR POWER TOO For some homeowners, it makes sense to install a battery system, which can come in handy during blackouts.

DID YOU KNOW? Between 2013 and 2023, the number of residential rooftop solar systems grew more than tenfold, from around 400,000 to over 4 million.

TAKE COLLECTIVE ACTION

Vote! 
In a representative democracy, your most important role is as a citizen—not merely as a consumer.

Get the Fumes Out

Replacing your gas stove—which uses methane—is one of the best upgrades you can make to your living space. While your stove is not the biggest energy hog, it spews harmful air pollutants into your home.

UPGRADE! To fully decarbonize your home, you may need to upgrade your breaker box (fuse box). You may be eligible to receive up to $600 under the IRA.

TAKE COLLECTIVE ACTION

Speak Out!
If the Carbon Barons want to put a fracked-gas pipeline through your watershed, unite with friends and neighbors to call on local, state, and federal officials to deny permits. Join the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign.

Hot & Cold

Heating and air conditioning use the most energy in your home. Time to link up your thermostat to a heat pump.

DID YOU KNOW? A heat pump can work as both a heater and an air conditioner.

Renters' Corner

We all know it can be hard to convince landlords to invest in improvements. The Inflation Reduction Act has several programs that benefit renters.

If you want to stop using a polluting gas stove, you can buy a countertop electric stove or induction burner. Depending on your income, part or all of the purchase could be covered by an IRA rebate.

Ditto for heat pump window units. Ditch your outdated AC. Low-income households can receive a 100 percent rebate on an energy-efficient heat pump, and moderate-income households can get a 50 percent rebate.

Since you can’t install solar panels on your rental unit on your own, investigate if you can purchase renewable electricity from a community solar program or a utility community choice program in your area.

Take note: If there’s a single federally subsidized unit in your building, the landlord is eligible for a suite of IRA tax credits for improvements.

When making any improvements, be sure to check your lease for what is and isn’t allowed. Learn more at energy.gov/save/renters.

Part 2: Transportation

Road Rules

Whether you rent or own, you have to get from point A to point B. There are more decisions ahead about how to slash your transportation pollution—now the number one source of US carbon emissions.

Pedestrian Lane

Can you do your grocery shopping within a 15-minute walk of your house? If so, take the sidewalk express. No manufacturing or embedded energy required.

Bike Lane

In just a few years, the proliferation of e-bikes has made two-wheel transportation a real substitute for polluting cars. Do you live in an urban area or a legacy suburb? An e-bike may be the ideal choice for you.

USER GUIDES: EVs and E-Bikes Find out which electric bike or electric car is best for you.

TAKE COLLECTIVE ACTION

Carpool! 
When you carpool to work or school, you’re helping to slash smog and carbon pollution. Traveling to a work destination with another person in the vehicle cuts total emissions in half.

Plug In & Go

Do you live in a suburban or rural area? Then maybe you can’t live without a personal vehicle. Luckily, there is now a wide range of electric vehicles to meet your specific needs: compacts, sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks too. Driving range is increasing, and prices are dropping. Now is the time to buy.

DID YOU KNOW? Electric vehicles are on a roll. In the first part of 2021, EVs accounted for 3 percent of all new car sales in the US; two years later, they accounted for 10 percent.

IRA INCENTIVE Under the Inflation Reduction Act, you may be eligible to receive a rebate of up to $7,500 for an EV manufactured in the US. Plus, you can get up to $1,000 in tax credits for the installation of a home charger.

TAKE COLLECTIVE ACTION

Take Mass Transit!
It’s one of the best ways to slash carbon pollution. By becoming a regular passenger on local buses or trains, you can cut your annual CO2 pollution by as much as two tons annually.