Building Decarbonization in the Midwest

08/22/23 • 34 min

Atlas Public Policy is excited to host our ninth episode of "Buildings Hub Live," where we spotlight the changemakers and technologies leading the charge to electrify our built environment. Join us for a discussion on building decarbonization across the Midwest, as we sit down with Molly Graham from the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and Dr. Missy Stults from the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

As of 2020, only 20 percent of households in the Midwest used electricity for primary space heating, and it is the region most dependent on piped gas and propane for home heating. Likewise, only 14 percent of regional households are all-electric, and just about 5 percent of homes report having a primary heat pump.

What opportunities exist to decarbonize and electrify the Midwest and facilitate efficiency gains across the region? Which states are leading the charge to electrify the built environment, and what should we expect from policymakers across the region going forward? How might the injection of federal climate funding turn the tide and move the needle on Midwest electrification?

Previous Episode

The Future of Electric Water Heating

Atlas sits down with Joe Wachunas and Amruta Khanolkar of the New Buildings Institute to discuss the future of electric water heating in US buildings and the role of heat pump water heaters in the energy transition.

What percent of US households rely on fossil fuels for water heating? What does the heat pump water heater (HPWH) market look like? How might federal, state, and utility programs accelerate HPWH adoption? Tune in to find out!

Next Episode

Workforce Development and Contractor Training

Developing a skilled, qualified workforce is essential to decarbonizing the US buildings stock. Contractors serve as the key interlocuters with potential adopters as they decide what to install and provide important information on available technologies, incentives, benefits, and costs. But do we currently have the workforce necessary to achieve our building decarbonization goals, and if not, what programs and initiatives exist to change that?
We sat down with Mary MacPherson from the Department of Energy, Harley Stokes from the BlueGreen Alliance, and John Doherty from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, to learn more about the role of workforce development in scaling building decarbonization nationwide.