Building Electrification

Building Electrification

Building Electrification

Building electrification can help solve some of the nation’s top challenges—creating millions of family-supporting jobs, lowering air pollution, improving resilience during extreme weather, and dramatically reducing greenhouse gas pollution.


Transitioning to clean and healthy fossil fuel-free buildings plays a critical role in meeting our climate goals and protecting public health. Efficient electric appliances like heat pumps for heating and cooling, hot water heaters, and induction stoves require far less energy than fossil fuel-powered ones and produce zero pollution, while saving people money on their energy bills.

Paired with energy efficiency retrofits, including weatherization and electrical panel upgrades, building electrification can reduce household energy burdens and make sure families can stay safe in extreme weather. The federal governments and many states are enacting incentives to make these types of improvements affordable for all income levels, and Sierra Club is working hard for an equitable transition to all-electric buildings. 

Smart grid technologies and modern electric appliances are critical to creating jobs, reducing consumer costs, improving air quality and health, and making our communities safer and more resilient.

A household's access to energy is essential to health, comfort and well-being. But many households suffer from a high energy burden and struggle to pay their energy bills.

Energy Burden Calculator

The Energy Burden Calculator can be used to help you estimate the percentage of your income that is spent on energy expenses (electricity and home fuels). Generally, a household energy burden over 6% is considered unaffordable.

See Your Energy Burden
November 1, 2023

More than 70 climate, health and consumer organizations have called for utilities across the nation to leave the American Gas Association (AGA) over their efforts to block climate policies and proliferate disinformation about the health risks of…

September 29, 2023

The Department of Energy (DOE) released its final rule setting Congressionally-mandated energy efficiency standards for gas furnaces, which will reduce air pollution and lower gas utility bills by $1.5 billion annually. The standard, which had not…

September 27, 2023

A new report released by Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice demonstrates the climate, health, and environmental justice concerns posed by outdoor air pollution from buildings, a source that…

August 7, 2023

Washington, DC - Sierra Club members and supporters submitted more than 6,000 comments urging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to finalize and implement a policy determination to…

August 1, 2023

On July 29, the Department of Energy (DOE) released guidance for states to apply for new Home Energy Rebates Program funding.