The impact of the electrification of buildings on the environment, economics, and housing affordability: A grid-response and life cycle assessment approach

Improving housing affordability while positively impacting the environment involves challenges that often counteract one another. As more traditional housing is developed, sustainability continues to be adversely impacted. One solution is electrification, but economic barriers and an electric grid requiring more renewable energy generation present barriers to its adoption as a successful alternative.This paper utilizes calibrated digital twins to investigate optimized solutions through a grid response and life cycle analysis approach. The electrified building baseline shows higher efficiency in energy usage, but falls short on economic and sustainability goals when compared to the traditional baseline. Through grid-response optimization of the electrified building, 30% of optimized electrified annual utility costs show improvement over the traditional building, and 52% of optimized electrified annual utility costs show improvement over the electrified baseline. The fifteen-year life cycle analysis shows 48% of optimized electrified results improved performance over the traditional building. Finally, subscriber solar analysis demonstrates the increased potential for electrification as an economical and environmental solution to housing affordability and global sustainability challenges through a more sustainable electric grid.

Automated summary

Improving housing affordability while positively impacting the environment presents challenges due to conflicting factors. Electrification is one solution, but economic barriers and the need for more renewable energy generation in the electric grid pose obstacles to its adoption. This study explores optimized solutions using grid response and life cycle analysis, showing that electrified buildings can achieve higher energy efficiency but fall short on economic and sustainability goals compared to traditional buildings.