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
July 11, 2023

Under new court decision blocking key pathway to cut pollution from new construction, Eugene forced to withdraw electrification ordinance and develop new policy

June 21, 2023

Yesterday, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced it will electrify the Ronald Reagan Building, the fourth-largest federal building in the country and the second-largest in the D.C. area after the Pentagon. In addition to updates to the…

April 25, 2023

Seattle, WA — Nineteen health, environmental justice, and environmental groups submitted a public letter today calling on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) to tackle dangerous air pollution from fossil fuel heating appliances by kicking off…

April 4, 2023

The Biden administration released additional details surrounding a variety of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programs designed to create family-sustaining manufacturing jobs in hard-hit communities, lower costs on energy efficient appliances like…

March 24, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee took up the so-called Homeowner Energy Freedom Act. This bill would repeal programs for energy efficiency, home electrification rebates, and workforce development included in the…