Ten Questions Concerning Building Electrification

Abstract

Building electrification is the movement to shift building operational energy use from fossil fuels toward electricity. It has been pursued mainly to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the building sector. We present here ten questions concerning building electrification, and attempt to answer them in the context of the existing literature. Our questions span dimensions of policy, life cycle impacts on energy and environment, technological advances and challenges, indoor and outdoor air quality, health, economics, and social-behavioral factors. We find that while much of the extant research predicts that building electrification will provide benefits in terms of GHG emissions, pollutant exposures, and economic impacts, it remains limited to a narrow set of geographic regions and typically fails to capture the full extent of life cycle environmental impacts. Additionally, despite logical inferences for likely health benefits, we were unable to identify explicit studies of the health impacts of building electrification. We also find a common theme that, for building electrification to be successful in reducing GHG emissions, costs, and adverse grid impacts, it should be approached in parallel with increased building energy efficiency, grid renewable power, and smart grid infrastructure. Finally, we find that people hold strong opinions about fuel options in their homes, and the relationship between preferences and energy use is complicated. To shift people’s beliefs around electrification, government-originating communications can highlight the benefits, but one must still account for heterogeneous household conditions. We conclude by suggesting key research areas needed to approach building electrification effectively and equitably.