How to Achieve Existing Building Electrification in the City of Santa Barbara by 2035. A Road Map to Eliminating Natural Gas Emissions from Santa Barbara’s Residential Sector

The City of Santa Barbara has adopted an aspirational climate goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Decreasing natural gas use would reduce the City’s overall emissions; thus, converting existing residential buildings to all-electric systems would bring the City closer to carbon neutrality.

To assess the feasibility of different electrification options, this project will review best practices from residential buildings' electrification in other jurisdictions. Furthermore, the project will create an economic model to calculate greenhouse gas reductions and the lifetime financial savings from electrification. Ultimately, this project will develop a roadmap – including cost-benefit analysis, policy, financial incentive, and equity recommendations – to guide the City in its 2035 initiative for electrification of all existing residential buildings.