Electrifying Texas multifamily buildings to support a clean, resilient, and equitable energy transition

The role of end-use electrification in buildings is crucial to reaching economy-wide decarbonization by mid-century. The state of Texas, recognized for being one of the fastest-growing and most carbon-intensive states of the United States of America, offers a unique landscape for understanding the intersection of climate, buildings, and energy. This study presents a comprehensive technical and financial modeling of full electrification scenarios for HVAC, water heating, and cooking end-uses in multifamily buildings across climate change scenarios. Detailed analysis using the ResStock database examines end-use electrification's technical viability and energy consumption amidst warming. Modeling of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing mechanism is developed to assess financial viability across electrification scenarios. The results show that approximately 36% of multifamily buildings in Travis County, 50% in Hidalgo County, and 19% in Lubbock County offer a net financial benefit from combined high-efficiency end-use electrification, with opportunities to increase PACE eligibility by 20% through the maximization of tax incentives under the Investment Reduction Act.