U.S. Residential Building Stock Analysis

U.S. Building Stock Characterization Study

An overview of the diversity of existing buildings and energy use intensity of different segments.

Example analysis questions this dashboard can answer:

• What percent of homes in my state are single-family detached with a natural gas fuel furnace?
• Which housing types and end-uses consume the most energy in my state/county?
• Where in my state has the highest level of penetration of electric space heating?

Example analysis questions this dashboard can answer:

• In cold and very cold climate zones, how much does outside air infiltration affect heating and cooling loads of mobile homes of all vintages?
• On average, how much do walls affect thermal load in 4+ story multifamily buildings in my climate zone?

ResStock: End-Use Load Profiles for the U.S. Building Stock

End-use load profiles are critically important to understanding the time-sensitive value of energy efficiency, demand response, and other distributed energy resources.

Example analysis question this resource can answer:

• What end-uses contribute the most to the electric system peak in my region?

ResStock Datasets for National Decarbonization Analysis OF Residential Buildings

ResStock™ is a tool that models the energy consumption of the U.S. housing stock. It is developed and maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Its two main functions are:

1. To create statistically representative building models that are informed by available data, and
2. To simulate these models based on physics using EnergyPlus™ and OpenStudio™. 

The ResStock output dataset includes the energy consumption of each modeled dwelling unit and its respective dwelling unit characteristics (e.g., insulation level, foundation type, wall construction) and household characteristics (e.g., setpoint properties, occupant information, household income). A dwelling unit is a single housing residence, such as one townhome, a single apartment within an apartment building, or a single-family detached home.

Example analysis questions these resources can answer:

• What is the average GHG emissions reduction from electrification of single-family detached homes in Michigan built before 1940?
• Will energy-efficiency measure packages decrease energy bills for households in my state with incomes below 80% of the area median?
• How does using supplemental fossil fuel heating affect the energy savings and GHG reductions of heat pump upgrades?
• What is the impact on energy bills from installing geothermal heat pumps in my state? (2024.2)

In collaboration with SMUD, Berkeley Lab developed three research questions to explore emerging issues of interest to the utility: 

1. Does the magnitude and timing of peak demand change under high levels of electrification?
2. How can energy efficiency mitigate the impacts of building and transportation electrification on peak demand?
3. What is the impact of a cold day on winter morning load as the level of heating electrification increases through 2045? 

To answer these questions, Berkeley Lab modeled baseline electrification, high-efficiency electrification, and cold snap scenarios. The analysis outputs include an hourly net demand forecast, provided in five-year increments, for the study period 2025-2040. LBL used ResStock and ComStock data calibrated with historical SMUD load data to develop the forecasts. Findings from the analysis include that summer and winter peak demand significantly increased over the study period due to policy-driven electric vehicle and building electrification adoption. In the cold snap scenario, the system becomes winter peaking. However, in the high-efficiency building electrification scenario, residential envelope upgrades and high-efficiency heat pumps significantly reduce increases in summer and winter peak demand from electrification and new construction. 

Heat Pumps for All? The Distributional Costs and Benefits of Residential Air-Source Heat Pumps in the United States

Electrifying heating in buildings with air-source heat pumps and related upgrades yields positive greenhouse gas reductions across all U.S. states, with varying impacts on household energy bills and consumer net present value, suggesting the potential need for incentives and innovations to bring down the upfront cost, especially for high-performance, cold-climate heat pumps.

Resources

• Full report: Heat pumps for all? Distributions of the costs and benefits of residential air-source heat pumps in the United States
• Heat pumps for all:
  • Greenhouse gas emissions dashboard
  • Economic dashboard
  • Dataset of all results

Example analysis questions these resources can answer:

• How does the faster or slower deployment of renewables affect the greenhouse gas impacts of heat pumps in each state?
• How do the energy bill savings of heat pumps depend on climate, existing fuel type, heat pump efficiency, sizing method, and home insulation quality?
• How much can insulation and air sealing improvements reduce homes’ design heating loads and thus the upfront cost of installing air-source heat pumps?

Accelerating Residential Building Decarbonization: ​Market Guidance to Scale Zero-Carbon-Aligned (ZCA) Buildings

Interactive Dashboard and Data Reviewer for the Accelerating Residential Building Decarbonization: ​Market Guidance to Scale ZCA Buildings

Example analysis questions this resource can answer:

• Which package will apply to the greatest number of multifamily dwelling units in Colorado?
• What is the median incremental cost of upgrading all single-family homes in the state of Minnesota to package #4?

Modeled Results of Four Residential Energy Efficiency Measure Packages for Deriving Advanced Building Construction Research Targets.

This report assesses energy savings, utility bill impacts, and carbon emissions of four simulated upgrade packages, aiming to set performance and cost targets for advancing industrialized construction innovations to achieve ZCA residential buildings.

Retrofit Decision Tool (RDT)

Example analysis questions this resource can answer:

• What upgrades do I need to perform to make my home ZCA?
• Will I need to improve the performance of the envelope or will electrifying end uses like heating and water heating be adequate?