Creating Climate-Friendly Homes

Residential and commercial buildings contribute 13% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The document highlights that adopting cost-effective efficiency and electrification measures can reduce carbon emissions of single-family homes by 24%, with the most significant savings coming from replacing inefficient furnaces and air conditioners with high-efficiency heat pumps.

• Residential and commercial buildings are responsible for 13% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, primarily due to the use of electricity generated from fossil fuels and the burning of oil, propane, or gas within buildings.
• Within the home, heating and cooling represent the largest source of CO2 emissions at 38%, followed by household appliances, lighting, and electronics at 24%, and water heating at 15%.
• Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) indicates that 22% of electricity used by single-family homes could be saved through electrification and efficiency measures. Specifically, cost-effective and profitable investments could reduce carbon emissions for these homes by 24% annually, which equals 291 million metric tons of CO2e and approximately 4% of U.S. energy consumption emissions.
• Certain U.S. states, including Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina, could achieve electricity savings in homes of up to 30%.
• The most effective energy saving is achieved by replacing an inefficient electric furnace and air conditioner with a single high-efficiency heat pump. Other rapid-payback upgrades include weatherization, LED lighting, smart thermostats, and ENERGY STAR rated appliances.

APA

Climate Central (2021). Creating Climate-Friendly Homes. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/climate-friendly-homes

Chicago

Climate Central. Creating Climate-Friendly Homes. 2021. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/climate-friendly-homes.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Creating Climate-Friendly Homes |date=17 November 2021 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/climate-friendly-homes |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2021creating, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Creating Climate-Friendly Homes}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/climate-friendly-homes}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }