Commercial building electrification: why engineering rigor delivers results
Commercial building electrification is gaining real momentum. Utilities are rolling out incentives, policymakers have set bold decarbonization targets, and heat pump technology keeps improving. Momentum is only the starting point. Across the programs we see in the U.S. and Canada, the difference between a goal and an outcome is engineering and program design, not equipment alone.
According to Steve Brennan, PE, and engineering manager at CLEAResult with decades of experience working with commercial HVAC systems, success is rarely about swapping one piece of equipment for another. It’s about treating the whole building as a system and designing programs that reward how buildings perform. The takeaway for utility program teams: commercial electrification works when it is engineered as a whole-building effort, not delivered as a one-for-one equipment swap.
What the field teaches us about commercial electrification
- Electrification is rarely a one-for-one swap. Commercial buildings are complex, interconnected systems. Changing one component creates ripple effects throughout the building. “Slapping a heat pump on it” without addressing system design first routinely leads to disappointing outcomes for customers.
- Variable air volume (VAV) systems are the biggest hidden barrier. VAV systems are common in office buildings over 10,000 sq. ft., and they’re expensive to electrify when they aren’t tuned up first. Sensors drift, valves fail, and controls become obsolete over time. The approach that works: recommission and rebalance the system, reduce reheat waste, then right-size a heat pump to replace the boiler.
- Heat pump water heaters aren’t always the easy win. Electrical infrastructure upgrades, air management challenges, and highly variable hot water demand all affect real-world performance in commercial buildings. They work best when integrated thoughtfully into the broader building system, not treated as a plug-and-play swap.
- Programs that reward performance, not just fuel-switching, deliver the real value. Incentives that focus only on equipment replacement miss the bigger opportunity. The greatest gains come from improving the whole system: recommissioning, right-sizing, and aligning equipment with how buildings actually operate. Closer collaboration between program teams and building owners makes all the difference.
The bigger picture
Steve's approach scales beyond any single building. The real lever is how a program is designed: whether it pays for swaps or rewards the system improvements that actually perform. That's a program-design decision, and it's where our engineers and program teams help utilities across the U.S. and Canada build programs that spend smarter and deliver more results. Steve goes deeper on each of these dynamics, including what programs can do right now to improve outcomes. Get the full article in AESP’s Energy Intel digital magazine.
Common questions
- Is electrifying a commercial building as simple as replacing gas equipment with a heat pump? No. Commercial buildings are interconnected systems, so changing one component creates ripple effects. Replacing equipment without addressing system design first routinely leads to disappointing results.
- What makes a commercial electrification program succeed? Programs that reward performance, not just fuel-switching. The biggest gains come from recommissioning, right-sizing equipment, and aligning it with how the building actually operates, with close collaboration between program teams and building owners.
About the author
Steve Brennan, PE has more than 30 years of experience in electric vehicles (EV), renewable energy, decarbonization, and energy efficiency (EE) projects. At CLEAResult, his focus has been on EE projects, audits, and electrification programs at commercial and industrial facilities as well as EV infrastructure programs. He is currently responsible for training both field and support engineers in site assessment protocols and serves as the key engineer for CLEAResult EV infrastructure projects.
About CLEAResult
CLEAResult is North America's largest provider of energy efficiency, energy transition, and energy sustainability services.