Building electrification experts share tips with SCE customers on retrofitting residential homes.
What does Electrification Mean?
Home electrification means switching from natural gas or propane for everyday needs — like heating, cooking, hot water and EV charging. Homes may also integrate solar and home battery storage to support these electric technologies.
Electric upgrades can help keep the air you breathe cleaner, protect the environment, and may lower your electricity bill. Going electric can be more affordable now, thanks to recent bill changes and money-saving programs like rebates and incentives.
Benefits of Going Electric
Going electric can help lower electricity costs, keep indoor air cleaner and support the environment.
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Energy-efficient electric technologies can use less energy to do the same job, which can translate into savings on your electricity bill over time. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, research shows that heat pumps can reduce energy use by 31-47%, and even more when paired with upgrades.
Gas appliances burn fuel and can affect the air inside your home. Switching from gas to electric can help reduce indoor air pollution, like carbon monoxide.
Using less gas and more clean electricity can help lower greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. You can make an even bigger impact by shifting electricity use to off-peak hours, outside 4-9PM, when cleaner sources like solar and wind are often available.
Why Going Electric Is More Affordable Now
Beginning in November 2025, your electricity bill was restructured with the Base Services Charge. This update decreases the cost you pay for each kilowatt hour (kWh) by approximately 10% to make it more affordable for you to use electric technologies and more clean, sustainable energy.
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How to Start
You don’t have to change everything at once. Many people start with one electric upgrade, then add more later.
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Step 1: Learn Which Appliances Use Natural Gas
Start by looking for appliances and systems in your home that use gas, such as your stove, oven, home heater, water heater or clothes dryer.
These gas-powered appliances are usually the easiest to switch to electric. If you’re not sure whether an appliance uses gas, look for a gas line behind it.
Some customers also choose to go electric beyond the home by switching to an electric vehicle.
Step 2: Pick One Electric Upgrade to Start
Choose one upgrade that fits your home and budget. A good time to switch is when an old appliance needs to be replaced.
A heat pump both heats and cools by moving heat instead of making it—delivering even temperatures for a comfortable home. Many models are 2-3 times more efficient than traditional heating systems.
Heat pump water heaters capture surrounding heat to warm your water, making them up to 4 times more efficient than many gas appliances, so your comfort stays high while your energy use stays low.
Induction gives you fast, precise heat and a cooler kitchen—without open flames. It can boil water up to 40% faster than a gas cooktop, making everyday cooking quicker and easier.
Curious about cooking on an induction cooktop? Try it at home first—on us. Borrow a countertop unit for two weeks and see the difference.
Electric vehicles can lower fuel and maintenance costs, and with the right electric rate, you can save even more by charging off-peak. Plus, eligible rebates can make going electric more affordable than ever.
Solar helps power your home with electricity and can reduce your carbon footprint. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each kilowatt-hour you generate on your roof is one less produced by a power plant—roughly 6,000 kWh a year can cut about 4.3 metric tons of CO2 in the U.S.
Home battery storage systems let you store excess energy for use when you need it most. They provide backup power during outages, help lower energy costs, and support a cleaner, more resilient home.
Learn more about solar and home battery storage.
Step 3: Check Rebates & Incentives Before You Buy
Qualifying customers can get upgrades like heat pump HVACs, heat pump water heaters, and induction stoves installed at no cost through programs like the Building Electrification Program and the Energy Savings Assistance Program.
Prefer to pay over time? Explore financing for qualifying home upgrades, with options designed to make monthly costs manageable.
Discover rebates that can give you up to $8,200 toward a pre-owned EV and/or a home charger.
Find rebates for electric appliances and more. Enter your ZIP code and start stacking the savings.
Step 4: Choose the Right Rate Plan
Once you’ve upgraded to electric, switching to the Time-of-Use (TOU) TOU-D-PRIME rate plan may help you save even more by taking advantage of lower rates during off-peak hours.
This rate plan is tailored specifically for customers with electric vehicles (EVs) or plug-in hybrids, electric heat pumps or residential batteries. This plan helps you align EV charging, home heating/cooling, and other electric use within the hours prices are lower.
Just visit the TOU rate plans page and choose the TOU-D-PRIME plan.
Learn More About Electrifying Your Home
Knowing where to start, what to upgrade, and how different electric technologies work can make the process feel more manageable. That’s why we offer live and on-demand sessions that cover what to upgrade first, how heat pumps work, what induction cooking feels like day-to-day, where to find rebates, and so much more. You’ll also find classes that help you communicate with contractors and installers, making it easier to get the upgrades you need.
Get started with on-demand Electrification & Decarbonization classes.
Message paid for by ratepayers.