December 6, 2023
***Contact Jonathon Berman for interviews or specific comments on COP28 proceedings***
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
Gas-free homes: a win for our climate, health, and safety
Press Releases
November 20, 2023
A new Sierra Club shopper’s guide aims to help consumers easily identify home improvement products that qualify for energy efficiency tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The guide compiles information from Energy Star and the…
November 14, 2023
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) intervened to defend a Department of Energy (DOE) efficiency standard for commercial water heaters. The standard was finalized by DOE last month and the American Gas Association, the American Public Gas…
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…