The average person spends very little time thinking about their water heating, space conditioning equipment or appliances, until they stop working. For this reason, emergency replacements are found to be one of the most significant barriers in decarbonizing residential homes with existing gas appliances. Through the CalNEXT Emerging Electric Technology Program, VEIC is leading two innovative research projects that look at how we can better enable homeowners to successfully electrify their homes, even during emergency replacement scenarios. The Emergency Water Heater Replacement project will work with California contractors to identify the specific barriers and available options for a homeowner or landlord to replace a failed water heater with a heat pump model and restore hot water in the same day. The project looks to build a “decision tree” that guides contractors to assess and recommend heat pump replacement strategies that include temporary gas loaners (to allow time for permitting and electric infrastructure upgrades), new 120V Plug-in HPWHs, or a direct transition to a 240V HPWH . However, often the barrier to choosing an electrification technology in older homes with gas infrastructure, is the additional work needed to increase the electric capacity of circuits, panels, or services. The second project, the Market Study of Household Electric Infrastructure Upgrade Alternatives for Electrification, will compile and evaluate available technology options that avoid time intensive and costly electric infrastructure upgrades, often associated with residential electrification. This project is focused on the functionality and cost-effectiveness of technologies such as smart electric panels, circuit control unites, smart circuit breakers or relays, or outlet splitters – which are typically installed between the electric meter and end-use devices. This presentation will include a review of the results of these two projects and how this information will facilitate homeowner and contractor decision-making to cost-effectively electrify existing residential homes.