Electric-vehicle-ready homes are homes which include wiring to support the future installation of EV charging infrastructure. Electric vehicle drivers enjoy a lower total cost of ownership on their vehicles and produce no tailpipe emissions. As electric vehicles become more popular, EV-readiness becomes an increasingly important feature for homebuyers — especially as it costs four to six times more money to retrofit a home to include electric vehicle infrastructure in the future as it does to include the infrastructure during construction. Studies also show that approximately 80% of EV charging happens at home, making EV-readiness an even larger necessity if an EV is in your future.  

If you decide to purchase an EV-ready home and install an EV charger one day, various tax and utility incentives exist to help you afford the installation. For example, the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit offers consumers who purchase and install EV chargers for their principal residences a tax credit of 30% of the cost, up to a maximum of $1,000 per charging port. 

• ENERGY STAR’s “Building Electric Vehicle-Ready Homes” information sheet 

Like EV-readiness, homes which include wiring to support the future installation of solar photovoltaic panels avoid potential down-the-road costs and enable homeowners to easily install solar at home. When equipped with solar panels, energy efficient homes have the opportunity to achieve net zero carbon emissions and are provided with increased resilience to blackout and extreme weather events. 

If you decide to move your home from solar-ready to solar-installed, you can take advantage of incentives such as the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit, which offers a credit of 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property for your home, including solar. 

As electricity generation relies more on renewable energy sources and less on gas, it’s smart to prepare your home for an electric future. An electric ready home is one that isn’t already equipped with all-electric technologies but is wired and ready to support not only EV charging and solar, but electric appliances and HVAC equipment. Purchasing an electric-ready home helps you avoid incurring substantial down-the-road costs, as data indicates that retrofit electrical costs are over four times the cost of original installations. For instance, upgrading the panel capacity of your home at the time of installation costs only a few hundred dollars, while retrofitting a home with a panel upgrade can cost $1,000 to $5,000 per installation. Most all-electric homes will require at least a 200 Amp electrical service. 

• “Make Your Home Electric Ready” from ENERGY STAR 

Data suggests that gas stoves emit harmful indoor air pollutants, including unsafe levels of nitrogen oxide. Homes with electric or induction cooktops and ranges avoid this problem, ensuring healthier environments for home residents. Induction stoves are also up to 10% more energy efficient than conventional electric stoves and about three times more efficient than gas stoves. Homes with induction also provide the added benefits of less intensive clean-ups, built-in cooktop safety features, faster cooking, and instant response times. 

ENERGY STAR certified appliances adhere to strict energy efficiency specifications set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Products certified to this standard save you energy and money while contributing to a healthier indoor and outdoor environment. Heat pumps, smart thermostats, HVAC equipment, electric cooking products, clothes washers and dryers, lights, fridges, and dishwashers can all be certified to the ENERGY STAR standard. If your home isn’t already equipped with ENERGY STAR appliances, you can utilize utility and federal incentives to purchase them. 

• ENERGY STAR Appliance List 

• Financial incentives for ENERGY STAR and/or energy efficient appliances: 
  • The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit 
  • Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Homes rebates 
  • Enbridge Gas ThermWise rebates 

A heat pump is an energy-efficient and all-electric alternative to traditional HVAC equipment, and it can fulfill the entirety of a home’s heating and cooling needs. Homes equipped with heat pumps benefit from reduced operating costs, higher performance, and significantly reduced energy needs. The most common types of heat pumps in all-electric homes are air source or ground source heat pumps. If your home is electric-ready, several utility and federal rebates exist to help you make the upgrade. 

• Financial incentives for heat pumps: 
  • The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit 
  • Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Homes rebate 

Manual J Calculation

When buying a low or zero emission home, it’s important that a homebuyer ensures that the home’s heating and cooling systems are not only energy efficient, but also tailored specifically to the home’s design and performance features. That’s where a Manual J calculation comes in. Performed by a qualified HVAC professional, home energy rater, or energy consultant, a Manual J is a detailed assessment that determines the precise heating and cooling loads required for each room in a home — based upon factors like insulation, windows, air leakage, local climate, and the home’s layout. 

The Manual J calculation helps ensure that the HVAC system is properly sized, avoiding the installation of oversized systems. In addition to sizing insights, the Manual J calculation provides a homeowner with important information about how heat is gained or lost throughout their homes, offering a better understanding of the home’s overall energy performance. It can even help identify opportunities for further efficiency improvements. As a buyer, asking whether a Manual J calculation was performed and reviewing its results can give you greater confidence in, and greater insight into, your home’s design.

Heat pump water heaters provide an all-electric and ultra-efficient alternative to fulfilling a home’s water heating needs. Heat pump water heaters use a much more effective heating mechanism than their gas counterparts and offer homeowners significant energy savings. Utility and federal rebates are also available to assist with heat pump water heater financing. 

• Financial incentives for heat pump water heaters: 
  • The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit 
  • Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Homes rebate