Overview

• Electric space heating with modern heat pumps reduced on-site residential energy consumption compared with natural gas and oil systems at national and state levels.
• Homes relying on natural gas for space heating used more on-site energy than electric-heated homes, a result the authors flagged as surprising.
• Switching to efficient electric appliances, including electric and hybrid heat-pump water heaters, was associated with additional reductions in household energy use.
• The analysis used the EIA’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey of nearly 18,500 households, applying a model that narrowed more than 300 variables to 41 key determinants.
• Authors highlighted practical steps such as air sealing, LED lighting, lowering winter thermostat set points when away, and benefits linked to multifamily building forms, noting residential use accounts for about 21% of U.S. primary energy.