I'd be curious to know if anyone can recommend resources that analyze the costs of all-electric new developments compared with the usual (for this area) developments that are heated with natural gas.
Here in Ann Arbor, MI we have a carbon neutrality plan that calls for electrification of homes. Â However, almost all new developments that have been built or approved since the plan went into effect continue to use natural gas for heat. Â At the same time, we have a housing crisis and desperately need to build more housing within the city, which is already a much lower carbon zone than neighboring communities.
An argument that developers have been making against electrification is that it will make new housing cost prohibitive (or even impossible) and thus will discourage the much needed new housing and drive development further away, which in-turn creates added transportation emissions.
We are trying to understand these issues better and would love to find real data.
Thanks
Hi @Ginny Rogers. Â This analysis found that an all-electric new home adds about $3k to $15k in upfront construction costs compared to a fossil fueled home. Eliminating gas line hookups would save money (roughly a couple thousand dollars), but those costs are generally subsidized by utilities and are thus reflected in customer utility bills, not borne by homebuilders.
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