As part of SBS Lab’s joint US-Ireland R&D Project led by Yizhi Yang, Rosina Adhikari, Yingli Lou, and Wangda Zuo from Pennsylvania State University, James O’Donnell from University College Dublin, and Neil Hewitt from Ulster University a new study has been posted. Given that the U.S. residential sector accounts for 56% of operational carbon emissions from buildings, the decarbonization efforts in this sector are critical for net-zero carbon goals. Our study titled “Long-Term Impact of Electrification and Retrofits of U.S. Residential Buildings in Diverse Locations” investigates the complexities of electrification and energy efficient retrofits (EER) across varying climates and dynamic grid clean energy penetrations.
Some of the key insights from this study include:
- Electrification has the potential to significantly reduce long-term emissions as clean energy adoption increases.
- However, decarbonization is not guaranteed due to mismatches between clean energy availability and demand, particularly in heating-dominant climates.
- Electrification can reduce energy burden and peak demand in cooling-dominant locations, while in colder regions, it increases energy burden (up to 8.24%) and shifts peak demand from summer to winter.
- Including investment costs, the implicit energy burden in cold climates can rise to 8.35%.
- For already electrified buildings in Denver and Great Falls, EER measures can shorten payback periods by up to 48.98%.
These insights reveal a tradeoff: while electrification offers superior carbon emission reductions, EER measures better alleviate energy burdens. Policymakers, energy planners, and stakeholders must consider all these dynamics to balance decarbonization with economic impacts on households. Reed more about these findings at this link (Free by February 14, 2025).
