MON AM News: UW study highlights disparities in heat pump usage; Mild winter last year, later season influencing ’24 deer hunt forecast

November 4, 2024

— A new UW-Madison study finds minority communities and those with more renters are less likely to use heat pumps — an energy-efficient alternative to other home heating and cooling options.

The study, from researchers in the university’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, was published recently in the scientific journal Joule. It was led by Morgan Edwards, an assistant professor of public affairs whose work focuses on human energy use and responses to climate change.

Researchers analyzed property data, socioeconomic indicators and the impact of heat pump use on energy bills in their study. After controlling for other factors, they found sociodemographic variables “strongly correlate” with heat pump use.

For example, a 10% increase in the Black population in a given census tract was linked to a 13% decrease in the odds that residents use a heat pump. Communities with higher proportions of Asian, Pacific Islander, multiracial and other non-white racial and ethnic residents also had lower heat pump use, according to the study.

Similarly, researchers also found a 10% increase in renter-occupied housing units in a census tract came with a 4% decline in the odds of heat pump use.

“Household electrification is an emerging energy justice issue in the US,” Edwards said in a statement on the study. “The story we see with heat pumps is the same one we see time and again with clean energy technologies: disadvantaged communities are at risk of being left behind.”

Jaime Garibay-Rodriguez, a postdoctoral associate who led development on the study model, notes disparities in heat pump adoption “have different implications if they are in areas where heat pumps raise or lower energy bills.” He noted race and ethnicity were found to have the “strongest negative associations” with heat pump use in areas where these installations would reduce energy bills.

Heat pumps rely on electricity to warm or cool spaces, similar to how a refrigerator works, according to a U.S. Department of Energy website. The agency says the technology is more energy-efficient than furnaces or air conditioners, and the university’s announcement notes the Inflation Reduction Act expanded incentives for heat pumps. But it adds the “extent to which the policy will impact underserved communities” isn’t known.

Edwards argues those incentives “were a great start but clearly there is much more policy work to be done to keep electrification efforts from exacerbating the energy justice challenges facing this country.”

See the release and study.

— Last year’s relatively mild winter should translate into more deer in the woods for the upcoming gun hunting season and bucks with bigger antlers, according to a DNR expert.

Jeffrey Pritzl, deer program specialist for the Department of Natural Resources, spoke during a recent online news conference focused on this year’s gun deer season, taking place Nov. 23-Dec. 1. He said less severe conditions in 2023 led to higher survival rates for fawns, as well as more substantial antler development for mature male deer.

“Because they came out of the winter in such good physical shape, that means they can devote a little bit more energy to antler development, so we should see above-average antler development; that’ll be nice to see,” he said.

Meanwhile, relatively dry conditions have escalated this year’s corn harvest, meaning deer have less cover to hide in, Pritzl said. Plus, fewer waterlogged areas will give hunters greater access.

But at the same time, this year’s hunt is taking place “the latest it can possibly be,” putting it further away from the peak breeding season.

“So deer movement during daylight hours is reducing as we get further away from early November, and so in the past we’ve seen an influence on that, with the harvest numbers … a potential drop of 10% or more, simply because of that shift in the date,” he said.

Pritzl also warned deer hunters to make sure they can distinguish between white-tailed deer and elk, as the state’s elk population has been growing following several efforts to reintroduce the animal into Wisconsin’s natural environment. The DNR has published resources online to help in differentiating between elk and deer.

The state’s elk population was estimated at 515 in 2023, an increase of 10% from the prior year.

“For some Wisconsin deer hunters, that’s still a relatively new thing to be thinking about, and as our elk population has grown, it’s possible that an elk could show up almost anywhere in this state … We want to get through this gun deer season with our elk population intact,” he said.

Watch the video at WisconsinEye.

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has announced $13.2 million in funding for broadband expansion in the state, supporting Wisconsin’s Digital Equity Plan.

The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created the Digital Equity Act. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration in 2022 allocated nearly $1 million to the state under the DEA program to develop its Digital Equity Plan, before later accepting the state’s submission.

This opened up eligibility for the state to get the Digital Equity Capacity Grant funding that was announced Friday.

Gov. Tony Evers says these grant funds will “bring Wisconsin another step closer to closing the digital divide in our state and ensuring folks and families have the reliable, affordable, high-speed internet they need and deserve.”

The state’s plan includes a wide range of initiatives aimed at boosting access and affordability of high-speed internet for residents, detailed in a 135-page document from the Public Service Commission.

See the release.

— USDA officials have announced another $8.7 million to expand high-speed internet in rural parts of Wisconsin, through the agency’s Community Connect Program.

Julie Lassa, USDA’s rural development state director for Wisconsin, says projects funded through the program “help expand online educational opportunities for rural students, enable people to access medical care without leaving home, and allow business owners to connect with customers and markets around the world.”

The funding announced Friday is split into two roughly equal grants.

CTC Telcom Inc. will use its $4.3 million grant to build an internet fiber system in Barron County, which will impact 785 residents and 22 businesses, according to the release. The funding will also support a dedicated community center space at the Crystal Lake Town Hall, giving residents free internet access for at least two years.

Meanwhile, Chibardun Telephone Cooperative Inc. will use the other $4.4 million to build a fiber system in Burnett and Washburn counties, affecting 789 residents and 21 businesses. Similar to the other grant, a community internet space will be provided for two years in the Evergreen Town Hall.

Wisconsin has gotten about $17.6 million from the Community Connect Program since 2021.

See the release.

— Bellin Health has tapped Michigan-based Protera Health for a virtual employee health program focused on musculoskeletal health, the Green Bay health system announced.

Protera Health’s “integrated practice unit” solution is being integrated into the health system’s employee wellness and benefits program, with a goal of improving employee health and reducing the cost of care, according to the release.

It includes a web portal for employees to access home exercises, educational videos and “health outcome scores” for tracking progress, while also offering telehealth visits with Protera’s clinical team. Starting earlier this year, qualifying Bellin Health employees have been able to access Protera Health’s services for free, as an extension of the company’s Bellin Physical Therapy program.

Chris Elfner is vice president of accountable care for Bellin and Gundersen Health System, which announced a brand transition to Emplify Health earlier this year. Elfner says musculoskeletal issues are “among our most frequently encountered” health conditions for employees.

Conditions falling under this umbrella include back and neck pain, joint problems, inflammatory diseases and other issues related to muscles, bones, joints and connective tissues. Such conditions can “significantly limit” mobility, making it harder for people to work and participate in society, according to an overview from the World Health Organization.

Dr. Joseph Kucksdorf, a physical therapist and clinician leader for Bellin Health, says the health system chose Protera Health over other digital musculoskeletal care providers for the strength of its clinical model and willingness to be creative in delivering health solutions.

“Due to the initial success of the rollout, we have already planned numerous health system expansion pathways through which we plan to deploy Protera,” Kucksdorf said in a statement.

See the release.

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