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City sustainability study finds all‑electric ductless homes can be cost‑competitive; council weighs codes and outreach
Summary
A consultant study presented to Flagstaff City Council found that, for new construction, well‑designed all‑electric ductless homes can reach cost parity or be less expensive than mixed‑fuel homes; consultant recommended adopting the 2024 IECC (with stretch appendix), electric‑ready/solar‑ready provisions, outreach and incentive programs while council and public raised grid reliability and retrofit concerns.
A consultant hired by the Flagstaff Sustainability Office told the City Council Tuesday that, in many modeled scenarios, new all‑electric ductless homes can be cost‑competitive with traditional mixed‑fuel construction and that energy efficiency often reduces operational costs.
Emily Artale, who led the study, said her team combined building‑energy modeling with confidential interviews of 13 local builders to produce locally grounded cost estimates. "It's very likely that a new all electric ductless home can be less expensive to build than a traditional mixed fuel home or at least be cost parity," she said.
The study examined six single‑family scenarios and four multifamily scenarios. Average capital estimates cited in the…
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