INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Purdue University study reveals that the current U.S. power grid cannot support a full transition to electric homes and vehicles, potentially costing households thousands to reinforce the grid.

The study, published in Cell Reports Sustainability on Sept. 16, indicates that reinforcing the nation’s power grid to handle increased electricity demand could cost between $350 billion and $800 billion nationwide. This would translate to several thousand dollars per household.

Kevin Kircher, a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue and a faculty member of the university’s Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, discussed the challenges and potential solutions during an interview aired on Tuesday night’s “UnPHILtered” with Phil Sanchez on News 8 at 11 p.m. Kircher highlighted the need for efficient equipment and coordinated device operation to reduce costs.

Kircher said that the U.S. electricity grid has become cleaner over the past 10 to 15 years with the adoption of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. This cleaner electricity, combined with competitive electric machines such as vehicles and heat pumps, supports the “electrify everything” movement. The movement aims to replace fossil-fueled equipment with electric alternatives, offering benefits for public health, air quality, and climate change. However, the transition poses significant challenges for the power grid.

Kircher said rebuilding the grid to accommodate increased demand could be costly, but alternatives exist. Those include deploying more efficient equipment, improving home insulation, and coordinating the operation of electric devices.

Purdue’s research explores software and communication systems to coordinate device operation, which could reduce grid build-out costs by over 40%, saving between $150 million and $350 billion.

Purdue’s Center for High Performance Buildings funded the study.

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