When Bob Soule wanted to install an electric heat pump in his home three years ago, seven contractors gave him proposals. Four told him he couldn’t do it at all and would have to use gas. One even told him the heat pump would stop working when the temperature dipped below freezing. Soule then did his own research, and he now enjoys winters “quite comfortably” with his new electric heat pump. He’s also installed a roof full of solar panels and has managed to run almost everything in his home with electric power. But he had little guidance—he had to figure most of it out for himself.
So Soule decided to cofound GoElectric DMV, a free program that lets people in the area receive coaching from a volunteer about how to electrify their homes. GoElectric DMV can help with basically anything related to electric power: solar energy, heat pumps, induction cooktops, even electric vehicles. It has now helped hundreds of people go electric—a process that’s often confusing and requires guidance from companies trying to sell things. In an industry where everyone has a financial stake in the game, from energy companies to contractors, Soule says it’s helpful to have someone to guide you who’s just a neighbor. “We’re not professionals,” he says, “but we have a lot of experience with these systems, and we can point people in the right direction and give them the right questions to ask.”
Want to enlist GoElectric DMV’s services? Just fill out a quick form on the website to let them know what you’re interested in and you’ll be paired with a coach who has done the same thing in their own home. That’s it: just advice from a regular person who’s been through the process already. “This is how I practice being a good neighbor,” says Brett Matulis, a GoElectric DMV volunteer. “There’s few, and becoming fewer, places where things are not connected to a transactional relationship. It’s nice to step outside of that. We’re really just giving friendly advice.”
This article appears in the August 2026 issue of Washingtonian.
