America Is Trying to Electrify. There Aren’t Enough Electricians.
Climate law is expected to add new demand for car chargers and heat pumps
Climate law is expected to add new demand for car chargers and heat pumps
Electricians, the essential workers in the transition to renewable energy, are in increasingly short supply. They are needed to install the electric-car chargers, heat pumps and other gear deemed essential to address climate change.
Electricians say they are booked several months out and struggling to find enough workers to keep up with demand. Many are raising wages and prices and worried that they won’t be able to keep up as government climate incentives kick in.
“I’m tired of telling people I can’t help them,” said Brian LaMorte, co-owner of LaMorte Electric Heating and Cooling in Ithaca, N.Y., which does residential heat-pump installations and electric-service upgrades. His six-person company is booked roughly six months out, so he has been referring potential new customers to other firms in the area.
The 48-year-old brought on two apprentices last year and has seen the price of an average job rise to roughly $20,000 from about $16,000 two years ago due to rising raw materials, equipment and labor prices.
Dan Conant says he worries about getting enough electricians for his West Virginia renewable-energy company Solar Holler. The company started an internship program in partnership with a local high school and expects the state will need several thousand more electricians over the next decade.
“Ultimately, this is the bottleneck,” Mr. Conant said.
The scarcity is part of a nationwide labour shortage and most acute in the Northeast and California, where demand for green-energy products is highest, in part due to state incentives. Some economists expect the pinch to spread across the country as incentives from the new federal law known as the Inflation Reduction Act kick in.
The current total of more than 700,000 electricians in the U.S. is expected to grow about 7% over the next decade, slightly faster than the nationwide average of 5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The shift to renewable energy and the need to update electrical systems is expected to drive that growth. Some analysts say that expansion needs to be several times faster for the U.S. to meet its climate and electrification goals.
The BLS includes a separate category of solar photovoltaic installers, some of whom could also be electricians. Growth in that much smaller sector is expected to be above 25%.
Industry analysts say it will be difficult to meet that demand, particularly because more electricians retire every year than are replaced, and many retired during the coronavirus pandemic.
The median age of electricians is over 40 years old, in line with the broader workforce. But nearly 30% of union electricians are between ages 50 and 70 and close to retirement, up from 22% in 2005, according to the National Electrical Contractors Association.
The average annual electrician salary rose from roughly $50,000 to about $60,000 from 2018 to 2022, an increase roughly in line with the national average, according to the BLS.
The climate law will put several hundred billion dollars’ worth of incentives into the economy designed to accelerate the energy transition and boost clean-energy supply chains in the U.S. The law followed an infrastructure spending package and incentives for domestic semiconductor manufacturing that are also expected to spur demand for labour and could end up pushing up total construction costs.
“We’re definitely in a new era of industrial policy,” said Philip Jordan, vice president at BW Research, a firm that studies how policies will impact the economy and workforce. “We’re putting our finger on the scale in a much more aggressive way than we ever have before.”
The impact of these policies differs from that of broad-based stimulus passed under the Trump and then Biden administrations in 2020 and 2021. Those packages raised demand across the board for goods and services. These latest policies are much smaller in total dollars, but also more focused, with their effects falling acutely on certain types of workers and products and in certain regions.
“There’s not enough people to do all this,” said Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who argues the programs should have been spread out over a longer period. His state has attracted billions of dollars in investments from companies such as Norwegian firm Freyr Battery and Koch Industries Inc. since the climate law’s passage.
To help address worker shortages, the law ties tax credits for renewable projects to the number of hours worked by apprentices.
Product makers such as Schneider Electric SE are working to make simpler products and drive down installation times. The company has been investing tens of millions of dollars in expanding its product manufacturing in North America and partnering with trade associations on training programs for electricians who install them, said Michael Lotfy, senior vice president of power products.
“We’re really trying to cope with the spike in demand that will happen,” he said.
On a recent week in Ithaca, three of Mr. LaMorte’s employees were installing a heat pump for Matthew Minnig, a 40-year old engineer who lives with his wife in a four-bedroom house. Mr. Minnig hopes to use the heat pump—which moves air between the inside and outside of a home—to replace a natural-gas boiler for heat in the winter and add air conditioning in the summer.
He ordered the units in April, but was told installation would take several months. “There are times I can remember last summer thinking, ‘We’ve already paid a considerable amount for this project, and I’m still sweating in my house,’ ” he said.
Demand for electrical upgrades and heat pumps is likely higher in Ithaca than many cities because of local and state policies and incentives encouraging a shift away from fossil fuels.
Electricians say jobs can be bigger than expected because of the high electricity demands of devices such as car chargers and induction stoves. That often entails upgrading home electric panels to accommodate 100, 200 or 400 amperes, they say.
Jesse Kuhlman, owner of Kuhlman Electrical Services Inc. in Massachusetts, said the company’s South Shore division is booked out to the summer, its longest such backlog in recent years. The company focuses on rewiring old homes and has been doing many more electric-car charger installations lately.
Mr. Kuhlman has tried to grow the company by training apprentices over time. He expects new demand for rewiring homes and electric-panel upgrades to support the business even if the economy slows, a shift from the 2008 financial crisis, when he remembers not having jobs for weeks at a time.
“You can’t just take people off the street and throw them into what we do,” he said.
—Greg Ip contributed to this article.
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Melbourne’s lifestyle appeal is driving record population growth — and rising rents. Here are the six most expensive suburbs to rent a house in right now.
Melbourne is considered Australia’s most liveable city. In fact, Melbourne competes on the global stage, consistently ranking among Time Out’s top cities to live in the world and ranking fourth in 2025. Melbourne is a cultural mecca filled with arts, x, and the country’s best sporting events.
It’s the lifestyle factor that has seen Melbourne’s population grow by over 142,000 people over the 23/24 financial year, largely driven by overseas migration. With increased population comes increased demand for properties, particularly in the rental market.
Akin to Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs, towards Bayside and the water, dominate the most expensive suburbs listed to rent across the Victorian capital.
In this article, we’ve examined the six most expensive suburbs to rent a house in Melbourne right now, according to property data analytics firm Cotality (formerly CoreLogic).
Median purchase: $3.15m
Median rent: $1,353
Brighton is Melbourne’s most expensive suburb to rent a house, and it’s easy to see why. A blend of grand period homes and modern architectural builds line the wide, tree-filled streets. The suburb is synonymous with luxury, and rental properties—especially those close to the famed Brighton Beach and its iconic bathing boxes—are snapped up quickly. Vacancy rates sit at a tight 0.9 per cent.
The Neighbourhood
Brighton offers an enviable mix of a beachside lifestyle and convenient shopping and dining. With access to top schools like Brighton Grammar and Firbank, plus Church Street’s boutiques and the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, the Bayside suburb is the complete package for Melbourne’s high-end renters.
Median purchase: $2.8m
Median rent: $1,313
Long known for its timeless Victorian and Edwardian homes, Malvern is a leafy inner suburb with prestige appeal. Many properties here are fully renovated period homes, featuring extensive gardens and original features that appeal to families and executives.
The Neighbourhood
Malvern boasts a refined atmosphere with a strong community feel. Glenferrie Road and High Street offer upscale cafes, boutiques, and grocers, while schools like De La Salle and St Joseph’s make the suburb particularly attractive to families.
Median purchase: $2.29m
Median rent: $1,253
Nestled along the Bayside coast, Black Rock has seen steady growth in both house prices and rents in recent years. Larger blocks and a quieter, more laid-back vibe than neighbouring suburbs make this a coveted spot for renters seeking both space and lifestyle.
The Neighbourhood
Black Rock is home to the picturesque Half Moon Bay and scenic cliffside walks. The suburb blends beachside charm with village convenience, offering local cafés, golf courses, and direct access to some of Melbourne’s best coastal trails.
Median purchase: $2.21m
Median rent: $1,199
Sandringham, next door to Black Rock, offers more of the same as its neighbouring suburb, at similar prices. Sandringham too ticks the box for laid-back waterside recreation, with the majority of homes in walking distance to the sand and charming village shops.
The Neighbourhood
This is a family-friendly suburb with a strong community vibe. Sandringham Village, with its mix of cafes, wine bars, and boutiques, sits just a short walk from the train station and beach. The area also offers excellent sporting facilities and parks. Sandringham Harbour is the local landmark, a popular destination for boating, fishing, and waterfront views from Sandringham Yacht Club.
Median purchase: $3.15m
Median rent: $1,179
Canterbury is the innermost Melbourne suburb on this list. It is considered one of Melbourne’s most prestigious suburbs, defined by grand family homes, generally over-the-top opulent new builds with French Provincial façades behind gated entries.
The Neighbourhood
Canterbury is anchored by the exclusive “Golden Mile” precinct and is surrounded by elite private schools such as Camberwell Grammar and Strathcona. Maling Road provides a quaint village feel, while the area’s lush green spaces complete the picture of prestige.
Median purchase: $2.3m
Median rent: $1,171
It’s back to Bayside for the sixth and final suburb on the priciest rental areas in Melbourne. Hampton is not too dissimilar to Brighton, with a main High Street providing convenience and the beach rounding out the relaxed lifestyle found on the bay. The suburb has undergone significant gentrification, with many original homes replaced by contemporary builds.
The Neighbourhood
With a stretch of clean, family-friendly beach and the bustling Hampton Street shopping strip, Hampton has everything renters could want—from stylish cafes to gourmet grocers and boutique fitness studios. Its proximity to Brighton and Sandringham only adds to its appeal.
Median purchase: $460,000
Median rent: $430
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Melton South—roughly 40km west of the CBD—offers the most affordable rental market. With a median rent of under $450 a week, it’s less than a third of the weekly rent in Brighton. The suburb attracts families and first-home renters seeking value and larger land lots.
Toorak is considered the Point Piper of Melbourne. Boasting even more billionaires than Sydney’s harbourside hotspot, Toorak is home to Melbourne’s most expensive houses, and reportedly Australia’s most expensive house sale if the 1860s Italianate mansion Coonac settles at over $130 million.
The suburb has some of the best educational institutions in Melbourne, as well as luxury homes on the Yarra, two train stations, and a central shopping precinct undergoing a full transformation with several mixed-use retail and residential developments. It is definitely the place to be.
As of May 2025, Brighton is Melbourne’s most expensive suburb to rent a house.
As of May 2025, Melton South is Melbourne’s most expensive suburb to rent a house.
As of May 2025, Toorak is Melbourne’s most expensive suburb to buy a house.
As of May 2025, Beaumaris is Melbourne’s most expensive suburb to buy a unit
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