ANN ARBOR, MI — University of Michigan researchers are offering to pay residents $200 to participate in a home energy study looking toward a societal transition to electrified heating.
The study, designed to support policies to allow society to transition to sustainable heating and cooling methods in a just and equitable manner, is open to residents of Washtenaw and Wayne counties and runs through February 2023.
“I’m starting a study called Heating with Justice, where we’re looking at the societal impacts of at-scale deployment of heat pumps,” said Claire McKenna, a building scientist and doctoral student in UM’s School for Environment and Sustainability.
McKenna, who is part of a team of researchers, issued a call for study participants at a workshop last week where the city’s sustainability office promoted air-source heat pumps as an energy-efficient, all-electric alternative for home heating and cooling — to transition away from gas furnaces and fossil fuels and to fight climate change.
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“I’m super new to Ann Arbor,” McKenna told the crowd. “I’m coming from a career as a building engineer, having designed all-electric and sustainable buildings.”
One of the biggest concerns with electrification is that heating and cooling costs will get higher overall as utility companies respond to the higher electrical loads, and the study will look at that issue, McKenna said.
Residents who sign up can receive a free home energy audit and $200 if they’re willing to have a smart thermostat installed to monitor their home temperatures, McKenna said.
“Each winter — to save money, energy, or both — a large proportion of families in the U.S. maintain their homes below the 64°F considered healthy,” the research proposal states. “As home heating moves toward full electrification and utilities require customers to adopt pricing plans designed to reduce peak demand, low-income customers could face a particularly stark tradeoff between cost and comfort.”
The study aims to test the hypothesis that dynamic pricing, when applied to electrified heating, will affect vulnerable households differently than it does other households.
“Without focused efforts to reduce the burden on the poor, widespread decarbonization of home heating is likely to hurt low-income customers,” the researchers state, indicating a desire to design interventions to avoid that outcome.
The study involves two home visits, with $100 payment for each visit, and participants will receive information about their electricity and gas use, along with tailored suggestions on how to reduce their electricity and gas bills.
In the first home visit, researchers will gather information about the characteristics of the home that most strongly influence energy use, including size, age, insulation, heating and cooling appliances, and energy use.
In the second visit, they will ask about preferences regarding heating and cooling, including what temperatures are considered comfortable and how to reduce bills.
“This information will help create policies that allow us to transition to sustainable heating and cooling in a just and equitable manner,” the signup form states.
The research team received a $300,000 faculty research grant through the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute’s Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program.
Other members of the team include Assistant Professors Parth Vaishnav, Tony Reames and Carina Gronlund.
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