Supporting a Just Transition for Illinois Workers and Communities
Nationwide, residential and commercial buildings are responsible for over 30% of US greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions come from the electricity they consume and the fossil fuels they burn on site. Illinois is making progress towards 100% carbon-free electric power through renewable energy development and existing nuclear power plants. But what about the natural gas and other fossil fuels that heat our buildings, cook our food, and warm our water? How can we reduce these greenhouse gas emissions? On-site building emissions made up 15% of Illinois’ overall greenhouse emissions in 2021.
Illinois cannot meet its climate action goals without addressing these building emissions. Building electrification — replacing fossil fuel-powered systems with electric alternatives like heat pumps — can dramatically cut emissions if powered by a clean electric grid. Larger-scale solutions like thermal energy networks will also be part of the mix.
Though the solutions may seem straightforward, the pathway towards building electrification is anything but clear.
Cities like Chicago and Evanston are considering mandates for new construction and long-term electrification timelines. The state of Illinois is considering policies that would reduce building emissions to zero by 2050. Many communities and workers have valid concerns about the speed, scale, and equity of this transition.
That’s where we come in.
Project Objectives
The Climate Jobs Institute’s building electrification research centers the needs of communities and workers to recommend solutions that will foster a just energy transition. Our objectives are to:
- Map the current building electrification landscape in Illinois in terms of technology adoption, workforce readiness, and policy.
- Recommend policies and strategies that foster the equitable adoption of electrification technologies, ensuring that benefits and costs are fairly distributed among Illinois residents.
- Model adoption scenarios and assess their economic and employment impacts.
- Recommend policies that promote good jobs, protect vulnerable workers, and support equitable outcomes.
Project Components
Our work consists of several key areas of research.
Residential and Commercial Market Analysis
Our research team is exploring the market potential for building electrification in both the residential building sector and the commercial and multi-family building sectors. By characterizing the current building stock, estimating current and future rates of adoption, and proposing “low-hanging fruit” solutions that could be pursued first, we’ll be bringing attention to the challenges of equitable adoption in Illinois communities.
We’re broadly summarizing the current electrification and geothermal technologies (including thermal energy networks) that are most promising, as well as the challenges and shortcomings of these technologies (including cost-effectiveness).
Interviews with residents, building owners, contractors, and facility managers will help us identify opportunities and barriers to equitable adoption of electrification technologies. We’ll explore their attitudes toward and familiarity with heat pump technologies and other electrification technologies.
Electrification Policy Analysis
Many states and municipalities have implemented or are proposing policies to promote electrification and emissions reduction in buildings. Our policy team is summarizing this policy landscape. We’ll focus especially on new policies being proposed in Illinois and explore how different interest groups are responding to these policies. Again, our focus will be on how policies will impact workers and communities in the building electrification transition.
We’ll interview policy stakeholders, such as unions, lawmakers, local leaders, and environmental advocacy groups, to better understand their perspective and the support they need to make informed policy decisions.
Economic and Employment Impact Analysis
We want to know how electrification policies may impact workers and economies. Economic impact analysis can help us do that. We’ll develop business-as-usual, moderate electrification, and high-electrification scenarios and explore the economic impacts of state investments in electrification funding.
We’ll consider the workers that will benefit from this transition and those that may lose work. Who will be scaling up? Who will be scaling down? What will the transition mean in terms of utility bills and maintenance costs, especially for low-income households?
Workforce Readiness
How ready is the Illinois workforce to support an electrification transition? We’re assessing Illinois’ preparedness to support widespread electrification. This includes analyzing existing training programs, including union apprenticeship programs, to explore how training programs are addressing new electrification technologies. We’ll identify needs for additional training or workforce development to meet Illinois’ electrification policy goals.
We’ll also assess the potential for deficiencies that may impact performance of electrification technologies. What kinds of quality control and training are needed to ensure that these technologies are installed and maintained appropriately? Our research will involve outreach to training programs and utilities.
Learn More and Participate
We’re working with experts and community leaders across Illinois to ensure this transition centers people — not just technology. If you’re part of a union, contractor network, energy program, workforce organization, or community group, we want to hear from you.
Please reach out to discuss the project and how you can participate! Contact Linda Larsen at lflarsen@illinois.edu.
Stay tuned for upcoming engagement events and ways to contribute your perspective.
Our Partners
- Indoor Climate Research and Training Center (Champaign County Regional Planning Commission): Expertise in residential energy efficiency and training for Illinois’ Weatherization Assistance Program.
- Colorado State University: Experts in adoption of electrification technologies and environmental policy.
- Smart Energy Design Assistance Center: Specialists in commercial energy efficiency, workforce development, and energy policy.
- Sandy Dall’Erba, Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at UIUC: Lead economist for the study.