Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Decarbonization of energy use in homes will be necessary for the US to meet its climate goals. Currently, very few homes are undergoing decarbonization upgrades and pathways are needed to scale up these efforts. This study combined a literature review, an industry survey and a project cost database in order to identify the key barriers and potential solutions to increased adoption of home decarbonization. We analyzed key cost-compression activities, together with the non-cost innovations needed by the residential buildings industry. We present pathways for home decarbonization based on these results, together with emerging technology innovations and market solutions that were identified during the project. The pathways include non-energy issues, such as health and comfort, as well as addressing related topics, such as financing and grid integration. These pathways identify where R&D efforts are needed and the innovations required to successfully implement decarbonization programs at scale.