26% of U.S. Homes Were Already All-Electric in 2020

By Christian Roselund

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published a state-by-state analysis of the degree of electrification of homes in the United States, finding that in 2020 26% of U.S. homes were all-electric. This information provides a baseline for electrification efforts and shows the need for attention in certain regions. The portion of all-electric homes varies widely from state to state, from a high of 77% in Florida to a low of 7% in New York and Michigan.

EIA observes that in colder climates most homes use natural gas, fuel oil, and/or propane for space and water heating. A map released by EIA confirms this, showing that less than 20% of homes in all states in the Northeast and Midwest are all-electric. California is an outlier; despite a mild climate only 8% of California homes are
all-electric.

The information provided by EIA comes amid both a movement by cities, counties, and states to mandate electrification of new buildings (See “Washington D.C. Passes Climate, All-Electric Buildings bills”) and a wave of states passing laws to prohibit municipalities from passing these all-electric mandates. It also follows U.S. natural gas hitting its highest monthly price in 14 years in
May 2022.

However, in many cases the states that have passed laws pre-empting municipal electrification mandates either already have high rates of all-electric buildings and/or have smaller populations. While Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee are among the 20 states that have pre-empted municipal gas bans, in all these states more than 40% of homes were already all-electric in 2020. This suggests that state pre-emption will not necessarily have a major impact in terms of prolonging gas as the dominant fuel for meeting U.S. residential energy needs.

EIA also supplied information on the uses of electrification in homes. While 88% of homes use electricity for air conditioning, only 33% of homes use electricity for space heating. Rates of electricity use for water heating, cooking, and clothes drying fell between these two numbers.

Source: 2020 U.S. Residential Energy Consumption Survey (EIA)