The California Energy Design Assistance Program can help you decarbonize your multifamily building!
California’s electric grid is transitioning to cleaner energy. To reduce the carbon footprint of your multifamily building, you must first determine how your energy is being used and the associated carbon footprint. This can depend on your building’s climate zone and associated heating and cooling needs.
Using electricity instead of natural gas to serve your building’s space heating and water heating needs ensures your building asset continues to reduce its carbon footprint year over year.
The California Energy Design Assistance Program can help you build in resiliency by analyzing which carbon reduction strategies meet your goals and budget.
Did you know that as of July 2023, new gas connections will no longer receive subsidies?
Key Electrification Systems for Multifamily Projects:
- Electrify water heating systems using individual or centralized heat pump water heaters
- Electrify heating systems using heat pumps or variable refrigerant flow systems
- Increase envelop performance to minimize conditioning loads
- Utilize refrigerants with low global warming potential
2026 Carbon Emissions by Building System End Uses
This chart details a typical multifamily building in Northern California using three different systems and how carbon emissions can be greatly reduced depending on the system used:
- First bar shows that conventional gas systems had the largest carbon output.
- Second bar shows the results if an air source heat pump and electric water heater was used instead of the conventional gas systems while keeping all other inputs the same. There is a small reductions in heating as compared to the conventional gas system. The main difference, however, is seen in the reduction of carbon usage in the service water heating.
- Third bar shows a further reduction when using a heat pump water heater.
Service water heating is a major area where reduction in carbon emissions can be found to benefit this project.
Carbon Emissions for an Apartment
If California is successful in its projections and rates of decarbonization then the electric grid will inevitably get cleaner as time goes on. Considering these projections we can look at which strategy choices have the best carbon reduction as the grid gets cleaner.
The first set of bars display where we are today:
- First bar indicates a building that is built to today’s code without adopting any carbon reduction strategies.
- Second bar is conventional gas systems.
- Third bar is air source heat pumps.
- Fourth bar indicates air source heat pump with heat pump water heater.
As time goes on and the grid gets cleaner, it is apparent that higher carbon reduction strategies (like the air source heat pump and heat pump water heaters) provide the greatest carbon emissions savings over time. This will actually become more efficient as the grid becomes cleaner.
Carbon Emissions with the Addition of Solar for an Apartment in Northern California
This chart displays how the addition of solar on 75% of the roof surface interacts with different systems overtime. Carbon reductions from adding solar decrease over time as the grid becomes cleaner.
The first set of bars display where we are today:
- First bar indicates core level.
- Second bar is natural gas systems.
- Third bar is all electric systems.
- Fourth bar is all electric heat pump water heater systems.
While solar is still a key strategy, you will see diminishing returns as the grid gets cleaner. On its own, solar will not get this building to net zero carbon.
Electrifying mechanical systems remain an important carbon reduction strategy that will future proof your building for years to come.
