What Matters for Electrification? Evidence from 70 Years of U.S. Home Heating Choices

A-Tier
Journal: Review of Economics and Statistics
Year: 2025
Volume: 107
Issue: 3
Pages: 668-684

Score contribution per author:

4.036 = (α=2.02 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The percentage of U.S. homes heated with electricity has increased steadily from 1% in 1950 to 40% in 2020. Energy prices, geography, climate, housing characteristics, and income are shown to explain 90% of the increase, with energy prices by far the most important factor. The paper then estimates the cost of an electrification mandate for new homes. Households in warm states tend to prefer electricity anyway, so would be made worse off by less than $350 annually on average. Households in cold states, however, tend to prefer natural gas so would be made worse off by more than $1,000 annually.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:tpr:restat:v:107:y:2025:i:3:p:668-684
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25