March 28th, 2024: Gradient Comfort
Dive into the world of cutting-edge HVAC innovation in our upcoming webinar, featuring Gradient’s groundbreaking All-Weather 120V window heat pump, slated for release later this year.
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February 29th, 2024: Equitable & Affordable Rate Reform
Panelists from the California Environmental Justice Alliance, Communities for a Better Environment, Brattle Group, and Citizens Utility Board discuss different approaches to creating more equitable and affordable rates for households.
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January 25th, 2024: Neighborhood Scale: The Future of Building Decarbonization
Hear from Panama Bartholomy (BDC), Rachel Kuykendall (Pacific Gas & Electric), and Jared Rodriguez (Emergent Urban Concepts) as they discuss the benefits of a neighborhood-scale approach to building decarbonization as well as the different pathways and ownership models for implementing this strategy.
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December 14th, 2023: Unlocking The Power of Thermal Energy Networks
Join us to learn about the exciting potential of thermal energy networks (TENs) and where they are being installed nationwide. TENs provide an opportunity to reimagine how we heat and cool our homes free from fossil fuelsTENs are an elegant solution to a complex problem: how to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our buildings at scale while providing a just transition for workers and delivering clean affordable heating and cooling to customers. We’ve known about this technology for nearly half a century.
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November 30, 2023: Inspiring Consumers and the Supply Chain
The Switch is On is a comprehensive one-stop shop consumer marketing campaign with demonstrated success in California. Launched in 2019 by the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC), the Switch is On campaign educates, inspires, and makes the home electrification switching journey easier for communities, contractors, and all those who live and work in buildings. This webinar will present the success and collaborative partnership model of our statewide California campaign; highlight new tools and developments; and explore the exciting future and expansion of BDC’s consumer inspiration campaigns.
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September 14, 2023: Role Building Envelope Efficiency Plays in Promoting Effective Electrification
As state energy offices start putting together their plans for the use of IRA funds, there is a desire to ensure they consider insulation alongside appliance installation. Moderated by Matt Rusteika. Join us for an engaging discussion with Mike Specian of ACEEE and Charlie Haack of NAIMA.
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August 24, 2023: Inclusive Utility Investment Financing
For low-income homeowners and renters, access to capital to upgrade homes and access electric appliances can be out of reach. A new financing model, inclusive utility investment, is on the horizon for residential customers and can improve accessibility to capital for clean energy projects.
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July 13, 2023: Revalue.io
Since 2015, Revalue.io has been preparing communities for the transition to clean energy through energy-saving building improvements (including insulation, heat pumps, etc.) and removing home health hazards such as lead, mold, pests, etc. Working with local, minority contractors and utility program administrators, Revalue.io provides a full-service custom “No Wrong Door” service for property owners, tenants, and local contractors to access resources such as rebates, grants, and other incentives that enable us to eliminate upfront costs for our customers.
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May 25, 2023: The Future of Gas in New York State
BDC’s report “The Future of Gas in NYS” discusses how New York State leaders can act now to save New Yorkers money and ensure an equitable, managed, and phased transition to clean energy.
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March 30, 2023: Working Towards Equitable Electrification
The 548 Enterprise philosophy is to redevelop metropolitan communities by utilizing renewable and sustainable technologies, allowing us to create savings for families, lower environmental impact, and drive value for the community.
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February 23, 2023: Innovation Acceleration
In just four years, a movement to eliminate pollution from buildings has spread rapidly across the United States. The BDC’s report, “Innovation Acceleration”, captures how quickly perceptions have shifted, how the market is reacting to the swift policy development and consumer preference for electric appliances, and gauges the impact this shift has had on the spaces where we live, work, learn, and play. It charts a path to achieve a just transition away from fossil fuels and fully unlock building decarbonization’s potential to create pollution-free communities in the U.S.
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January 19, 2023: Charlie! The 120V Induction Range
Channing Street Copper Company builds energy storage equipped (ESE) appliances. Starting with an ESE induction range, named Charlie, coming to market in 2023. ESE appliances offer a range of benefits, including resiliency in case of power outage, ability to loadshift and use clean renewable energy, and effortless installation by plugging into a standard wall outlet. When replacing a gas range with an ESE induction range, there is no need for expensive electrical work as it can run off the 120v outlet that's already behind the stove. This makes ESE induction the simple and straightforward choice for home electrification.
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December 15, 2022: QuitCarbon, Lessons as Carbon Concierges
QuitCarbon has been drafting “Quitting Plans” for home electrification retrofits in the SF Bay Area since early 2022. They work closely with contractors and homeowners to find the best solutions, recommendations, and up-to-date incentives surrounding all things electrification. Cooper and Adam of QuitCarbon took us along their journey as Carbon Concierges and gave us insights about working alongside homeowners and contractors, lessons learned, how municipalities and utilities can support residential electrification, and more!
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October 13, 2022: The First 120 V Heat Pump Water Heater with Rheem
A water heater you can plug in anywhere? It doesn’t need a dedicated circuit breaker? Please join us with Kevin Clark from Rheem to talk about their new, first of its kind, 120v heat pump water heater. Kevin will tell us everything from product journey to what this means for accessibility into the decarbonizing market.
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September 8, 2022: Thermal Networks
Join BDC and Jay Egg as we talk about Thermal Energy Networks. What they are, how they can be used to meet our decarbonation goals, and what's going on with them in New York.
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August 18, 2022: TECH Clean California
TECH Clean California (TECH) is a statewide market transformation initiative designed to accelerate the adoption of heat pump space and water heating in California homes. In its first six months of operation, TECH saw strong uptake and enrolled nearly 1000 contractors, reserved and deployed heat pump incentives to over 20,000 single- and multi-family residences, and expended almost all of its four-year market rate incentive budget. This webinar will provide an overview of the first year’s successes and lessons learned, and help inform heat pump market transformation efforts in California and across the United States.
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July 28, 2022: Powering a More Resilient Electrical Grid with Utilidata
Smart grid technology leader Utilidata is working with the global artificial intelligence company NVIDIA to fundamentally transform the electric sector by bringing distributed intelligence to the edge of the grid. As the grid becomes more complex, edge computing is essential for cost-effective and resilient decarbonization.
The full capabilities of smart meters - a critical bridge between the utility and customer at the grid edge - have been limited by the lack of computing power. That’s why Utilidata is working with NVIDIA to develop a smart grid chip that will enable improved wildfire response, reliability, and more renewable energy capacity without the expensive grid upgrades.
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June 28, 2022: How Induction has revolutionized the sales floor.
Tune into an engaging webinar from chef and educator Andrew Forlines of Chef AF who presented on his experience as a residential appliance salesperson. Chef Andrew shared why he prefers to sell induction, how he navigates consumer barriers to destigmatize induction, and how he shifts his selling style to meet individual needs.
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May 5, 2022: The GeoGrid: Ground-Source Heat Pumps for Accelerating a Gas-Free Future
GeoGrid is a networked ground-source heat pump system that provides an innovative solution for heating and cooling homes without the use of natural gas. More efficient than air-source heat pumps, GeoGrid can be installed by gas utilities in the right-of-way of a street — making utilities participants in electrification efforts. Installation and feasibility studies are launching in states across the country.
The co-executive directors of HEET, the nonprofit climate-solutions incubator that invented the GeoGrid, discuss the system, the active studies and research, and how you can help accelerate the gas-free transition.
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April 28, 2022: European Heat Pump Market Update and Decarbonizing Europe
Thomas Nowack, Secretary General of the European Heat Pump Association discusses current and projected heat pump market conditions, helps us understand European countries and communities are attempting to address Russian gas dependency with heat pumps, and discusses the European Heat Pump Association's activities. Truly one of our best BDC Presents yet--thank you all for your robust participation!
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April 14, 2022: Health Harms From Gas Stoves w/ Physicians for Social Responsibility
Zach Williams, MPH lead us through a training exposing the harmful air pollutants produced by gas stoves, their negative impacts on the human body, the exacerbated impacts on vulnerable populations, and the strategies one can take to reduce the risk of gas stove pollutant exposure.
Webinar Recording Access Passcode: gas-stoves2022
February 17, 2022: Making "Going Electric" Easy with Harvest Thermal
How do we help homeowners transition from gas affordably, comfortably and equitably? And how do we do that while helping build a cleaner and more resilient electric grid? These are the challenges that the Harvest Thermal team set out to solve when they developed a smart home heating and hot water system. The system leverages the thermal storage potential of the planet's most abundant resource -- water -- and marries it to algorithms and a heat pump to tackle the existential threat of climate change. This helps homeowners lower energy bills, utilities manage a cleaner grid, and allows all of us to benefits from cleaner air and lower carbon emissions.
Co-founder and CEO Jane Melia shares the challenges and successes of the Harvest Thermal journey so far and provides a perspective on the different approaches to electrifying heating and hot water.
November 18, 2021: Extreme Heat Strategies for All: Inclusive and comprehensive solutions for extreme heat management
What are the realities environmental justice communities face in regards to extreme heat and what are the solution sets? Amee Raval, Policy and Research Director at Asian Pacific Environmental Network joined us to discuss efforts to establish programs and work with partners to deploy solutions.
October 14, 2021: Beating the Heat
Our Extreme Heat webinar series kicked off with "Beating the Heat: How local governments are addressing the extreme heat. Kirsten Pawling with the County of Los Angeles and Jan Keleher with the City and County of Denver joined us to discuss how local governments are developing innovative policy solutions to address the effects of Extreme Heat and Climate Change.
September 23, 2021: CSU's Master Plan for Decarbonization
In the midst of simultaneous mitigation and adaptation to climate change impacts, the California State University, the largest public university system in the country, has developed a Building Decarbonization Framework. These series of documents is one of many tools that will be leveraged to guide its 23 campuses to meet their carbon neutrality goals through an offset-free electrification strategy. This technical roadmap covers policy, design and Title 24 modeling guidelines, available technology, opportunities for heat recovery chiller integration, as well as a tool to gauge economic viability of a project. Listen to Rachel Wong (CSU), Andrew Meiman (Arc Alternatives), and Brian Stern (Glumac) as they chat through the components of the framework and plans for implementation.
September 9, 2021: The Switch Is On!
Now is the time to electrify everything, and we have a plan to make it happen! Thank you for joining us to hear about the Switch Is On, an outreach campaign that will educate, inspire and support consumers to swap out their gas appliances. Jessica Leader, BDC's Director of Strategic Outreach, and Rebecca Rothman, Senior Project Manager for the Switch Is On, walk us through the plan to get Californians on board with electrification, and explain how we can expand this effort across the country and beyond.
July 8, 2021: Rewiring America
The electric prophet, the clean energy visionary, the one and only data-driven Saul Griffith from Rewiring America stepped onto the BDC Presents stage to describe Rewiring America's vision for an all-electric future! Join us as Saul discussed why we need to electrify 1 billion machines, how we are going to do it and where it's already happening. Rewiring America’s mission, initiatives and strategy for the clean-energy electrification of the American economy is a truly revolutionary manifesto for our present time and immediate future.
June 10, 2021: Brewing Something Better--The Future of Commercial Coffee Roasting
How do you like your coffee? Do you like it like your buildings: decarbonized?
Grayson Caldwell tells us the story of Bellwether, makers of the first-ever zero emissions coffee roaster. The Bellwether coffee roaster reduces the carbon footprint of coffee roasting by 90% in comparison to traditional gas-powered roasters. With Bellwether, cafés and grocery retailers can roast the freshest, high quality coffee on-site, all at a lower cost than traditional gas based roasting. Bellwether’s inclusive platform even allows users to order green coffee, track inventory, and tell the story of their coffee from farm to cup. We hope you enjoyed this break from the daily grind!
May 19, 2021: The Flipside Report- Targeted Geographic Electrification in California's Gas Transition!
The BDC and Common Spark Consulting co-host a members-only webinar to preview the recommendations contained in “The Flipside Report: A White Paper on Targeted Geographic Electrification in California’s Gas Transition.”
Filled with solutions for how we can end our dependence on gas and accelerate the electrification of our communities, The Flipside Report discusses and proposes:
- Targeted geographic electrification to mitigate disproportional infrastructure costs/throughput, while maximizing cost savings and reliability
- Leveraging dynamics between gas rates and electric rates for whole-bill considerations that will provide incentives for electrification while protecting customer affordability
- Prioritization for migrating low-income, environmental justice, and vulnerable populations away from the gas system first. Establishing bill protection/credit programs for those populations transitioning from gas network dependence to electrification
- Financing and funding options designed to accelerate electrification within the timeline established for California to attain its emissions goals.
Thank you for joining us for an informative and lively discussion of the challenges, solutions, and implications of targeted electrification and gas decommissioning.
May 13, 2021: The Retrofit-ready Heat Pump Water Heater: 120 Volts to the Future!
Featuring Tom Zimmer (GE), Arthur Smith (A.O. Smith) and Kevin Clark (Rheem)
For homes with electrical panels with 100 amp or less capacity, installing a heat pump water heater can require a panel upgrade—a potentially expensive and time consuming exercise. Thank you for joining BDC & NBI as we discussed the latest promising developments in Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) technologies that may avoid this expensive and time consuming exercise!
Tom Zimmer (GE), Arthur Smith (A.O. Smith), and Kevin Clark (Rheem) unveiled a new generation of ‘Plug In,’ HPWH devices, which are compatible with current residential electrical systems. Requiring just 120 volts and low amperage, this exciting new class of HPWH eliminates the need for most electrical panel upgrades. Their ease of use will help accelerate the use of clean energy appliances that are essential to decarbonizing our homes.
April 8, 2021: Electric Kitchens Have Arrived!
Featuring Chef Rachelle Boucher of Kitchens to Life and Chef Dashiell Kiefreider of Rational USA
The modern all-electric kitchen is powerful, versatile, fast and fun. Surprised?
By now, you have heard many myths and half-truths about electric kitchens. Join two electric kitchen super fans and top culinary trainers, one from the commercial kitchen world and one from the residential kitchen world, who will share their insights and adventures as appliance experts and educators to help set the record straight!
Chef Rachelle Boucher of Kitchens to Life is a consultant and corporate chef for the residential appliance industry and the co-founder of the Electric Kitchen Workshop & Studio at Monark Premium Appliance in San Francisco. Chef Dashiell Kiefreider is an energy and efficiency expert, consultant, and commercial kitchen designer working on some of today’s most innovative kitchens in his role with Rational USA.
Join them live in the kitchen and learn about the latest technologies and trends in all-electric cooking and kitchen design while they cook, bust myths, and share exciting truths about environmental impacts, wellness, ease of use, safety, and the sensational cooking options of today’s electric kitchens.
March 11, 2021: The Future of Building Electrification
with Dom Lempereur from BlocPower
What is the future of small and medium sized building (SMB) electrification? How do we electrify low-to-moderate income and underserved communities? BlocPower's two pronged approach toward SMB electrification relies both on emerging technologies and community organization. Using its proprietary, machine learning software, BlocPower is able to target specific building typologies with the appropriate electrification measures: primarily air-source heat pumps. Further, BlocPower engages the local communities to build trust, develop the local workforce and further penetrate previously underserved communities.
February 17, 2021: Gas Planning Advocacy Plan with Common Spark Consulting
BDC Long-Term Gas Proceeding Advocacy Plan
In 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) opened a proceeding to Establish Policies, Processes, and Rules to Ensure Safe and Reliable Gas Systems in California and perform Long-Term Gas System Planning (R.20.01.007). The two-track rulemaking covers the future of gas use in the State, with Track 1, which started in July 2020, focused on updating gas system reliability standards and facilitating coordination between gas utilities and gas-fired electric generators. Track 2, which will start in Mid-October 2021, will develop and implement a long-term planning strategy for California’s transition away from gas and will cover potential demand scenarios and regulatory changes needed.
Over the course of October to December, the BDC hosted seven webinars to cover the major themes, issues, and arguments related to the Gas Proceeding. The goal of the webinar series was to educate BDC members and stakeholders about the issues, get to know key parties and their positions and arguments, and identify resources for their own advocacy. Following the webinars, the BDC team spent December and January compiling the lessons from those sessions, additional existing research, and feedback from partners to inform the creation of a Gas Planning Advocacy Plan for BDC Members. You can find the recorded webinars as well as a summary report of the Proceeding and draft BDC recommendations on the BDC Gas Proceeding webpage.
Today, we hosted a members-only webinar to present the Draft Advocacy Plan, welcome any feedback, and discuss how BDC plans to support members engaging in the proceeding. After the webinar, we will take the additional input, revise the draft, and hold additional meetings in the Spring to finalize the document and support members that want to intervene, as well as give regular updates to members.
February 11, 2021: The State of Building Electrification with Scott Blunk from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Where are we on building decarbonization as a movement? What have early building decarbonization program efforts taught us and where we need to go next? What can leadership utilities and other institutions do to help the movement overcome some of its stickiest barriers? For the answers to these questions, we need to go to the leaders of the industry. So we asked Scott Blunk to come talk with us.
Scott heads the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)'s long range planning for electrification and energy efficiency and has years of experience designing, developing and building green and energy efficient solutions for residential, multifamily and commercial properties. Hear his insights on the state of Building Electrification and how SMUD, a community-owned not-for-profit electric utility, is leading the nation in building decarbonization.
January 14, 2021: How to Sell Heat Pumps to Contractors and Homeowners!
with "the Father of Electrify Everything" Nate Adams
The kitchen table transaction is the key to residential electrification: if homeowners aren't willing to write checks to buy heat pumps and contractors aren't comfortable selling them, nothing happens. Nate Adams has spent a decade pulling apart this Gordian knot. Nate discusses the lessons learned and the counterintuitive ways to solve this wicked problem.
December 10, 2020: Building Electrification--The Sooner, The BETR!
Cathy Higgins and Alexi Miller, NBI co-authors, share the results from The Building Electrification Technology Roadmap (BETR): A BETR Path to Decarbonization for California Efficiency Programs.
BETR was developed to support and accelerate increased adoption of highly efficient electric technologies that displace low-efficiency electric and natural gas technologies. The presentation includes the first public overview of the three key areas of BETR: 1) characterizing existing and up-and-coming electrification technologies; 2) identifying roadblocks to adoption, and 3) providing targeted, near- and long-term actions needed to support building electrification. The authors also share the opportunities for energy and emissions reductions by applying packages of the technologies across two residential building types.
November 5, 2020: From Reddy Kilowatt to Gumby Kill-O-Watt
Tanya Barham of Community Energy Labs explain how grid-connected, flexible, efficient, all-electric buildings can speed the adoption of renewable energy on the grid and what is standing in the way.
October 8, 2020: Lessons From The Field
The building electrification movement is still quite young, but there are some pioneers out there that are breaking the new ground, learning the customer value proposition, building the business models that will support this industry. We need to learn from these brave souls to continue to evolve our efforts and focus to make sure that all of our work is building an industry that supports businesses, customers and communities.
Hear from Larry's decades of hands on experience in the electrification field, the leading problems he's encountering, the main questions he gets from customers, what's working, what's not working, what's needed, and so much more. You won't want to miss this conversation with a leading voice in electrification!
September 10, 2020: You Don't Need More Power! How to Electrify Without Panel Upgrades and Rewiring
All-electric developments and retrofits often face constraints on electric power supply, and for every constraint there is a technical solution. Old homes, apartments and trailer homes may have power supplies as low as 7200 Watts (30 Amps at 240V), but upgrading interior wiring and utility services can be cost- and time-prohibitive. After designing more than 100 all-electric developments and retrofits, from tiny homes for the homeless to historic hotels and high rises, Sean Armstrong has faced every possible challenge to electrifying a building and has found a solution. Enjoy this technical deep dive in avoiding power upgrades!
August 20,2020: Rheem Proterra! Save Today, Save Tomorrow
This months speaker, Kevin Clark from Rheem, tells us about the all-new Rheem ProTerra Hybrid Electric Water Heater. This new HPWH helps homeowners save up to $490/yr. in energy costs and qualifies for top rebates nationwide. And they thought of plumbers too, making it easier to install and service. The webinar covers this new great HPWH model and is an opportunity to discuss the latest in water heating technology and what is coming next with one of the most involved people in the industry.
August 6, 2020: Electrify Your Home Without an Electric Panel Upgrade
Spencer, the CEO of NeoCharge, dives into the challenges of installing electric vehicle charging in a home. He discusses how these installations relate to electrifying a home, including the common multi-thousand dollar panel upgrades required to install a heat pump water heater. With NeoCharge's Smart Splitter, Spencer explains how a home can be electrified without the need for expensive modifications to the home, allowing for easier electric car charging access and more affordable electrification of homes.
July 23, 2020: The Health Effects of Gas Stoves
We spend up to 90% of our time in buildings, breathing air that is very likely more polluted than outdoor air. Decades of research shows that gas stoves can expose people to high levels of pollutants inside the home, posing health risks. In May, Rocky Mountain Institute, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Mothers Out Front, and Sierra Club published a report (Health Effects from Gas Stove Pollution) summarizing peer-reviewed research from the last twenty years into eight key findings. The report was featured in more than 150 original articles and reprinted stories, including high-profile coverage in The Guardian, POLITICO, Vox, Bloomberg, and Mother Jones. Join lead authors Brady Seals and Andee Krasner to discuss the findings of the study, highlights of action being taken to protect public health from gas stove pollution, and recommendations for policymakers, healthcare organizations, individuals, and researchers.
July 9, 2020: Accessible Electrification Financing For All
On July 9, the Building Decarbonized Coalition hosted a webinar to celebrate the publication of BDC’s policy roadmap for Tariffed On-Bill investments in California featuring a video conference briefing on the white paper contents. The white paper outlines a policy roadmap for expanding access to clean energy investment opportunities, particularly for low- and moderate-income households and renters. The report represents the culmination of six months of research and stakeholder input and calls for $36 billion in private capital investments to augment California’s publicly funded programs.
Speakers included Holmes Hummel, a nationally recognized subject matter expert on tariffed on-bill investments, having written the investment plans for utility program in North Carolina and Arkansas and securing millions of dollars of low cost capital for investment in service areas recognized for persistent poverty, and project manager Bruce Mast, who shepherded the white paper to completion and contributed a career’s worth of experience in California energy policy, program implementation, performance risk management, and the customer economics of building electrification.
June 18, 2020: The Engineering of All-Electric Buildings with Peter Rumsey
Electrifying homes are pretty straightforward, 90% are just take 4 appliances and electrify them. Maybe a little wiring, maybe a panel upgrade. New construction: a cinch. Cheaper and faster actually. Multi-family and the many different shades of “nonresidential” though? A different beast. It can be done and done well, but it involves some thinking, some skill and some vision. Totally do-able, once you know how to do it. Peter Rumsey is one of the best at doing it. Big firms, small firms, massive campuses and one-offs, he has seen them all and been designing them zero-energy and all-electric for two decades. In this webinar Peter shares information on heat pumps and how they can be applied in commercial buildings. He discusses different heat pump types and shares case studies on the application of these systems. He shares his lessons learned and experience from two decades of designing net zero and all electric buildings. This lecture is useful for the novice and expert alike who are involved in the design, construction and operation of buildings.
May 21, 2020: How do you Design All-Electric, Super Efficient Central Water Heating System
The Building Decarbonization Coalition is thrilled to welcome to the BDC Presents Stage Shawn Oram from Ecotope. Ecotope is counteracting the climate crisis with research-proven engineering and visionary leadership; they drive the building industry toward transformative and scalable low-carbon solutions, informed by four decades of learning and technical innovation.
May 14, 2020: We Can Electrify Every Building Type!
Zero energy buildings have been seen as exceptional outliers, mostly low rise buildings or for a few dedicated clients. But to address the climate crisis, speed and scale are required. Fortunately we now have the tools and policies to get ALL new buildings in California to zero emissions. The new electrification building codes spreading across the state can be combined with 100% clean electricity to reach zero emissions. Every building type can be electrified. It’s true! Restaurants? Yes! Residential towers? Yes! That weird quonset hut your dad lives in? Yep!
April 23, 2020: Contractor Needs Assessment Results!
Engagement with contractors is critical for the success of building electrification efforts, as many residential customers rely on contractors to recommend and install the appropriate equipment for their building. EMI Consulting will present results of recently completed in-depth interviews with 39 contractors involved in the installation of heat pump space-heating and heat pump water-heating technologies. Interviewees included HVAC contractors, plumbers, electricians, and general contractors that work in the residential renovation market in California.
April 16, 2020: How to Make your Carbon Positive Affordable Housing Project Revenue Positive!
Building carbon and revenue positive affordable housing? How? Through good design, savy economics and leveraging systems to pay for each other. Join the Building Decarbonization Coalition with one of the top carbon-positive affordable housing consultants in the country, Sean Armstrong of Redwood Energy. Sean will discuss why affordable housing is better electric, how to make it pay for itself for developers and residents, how design affects capital and operating costs and what the heck the CUAC is.
March 19, 2020: How SMUD Re-Engineered Itself to Focus on Decarbonization Through Flexibility and Electrification
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is a community-owned not-for-profit electric utility that is leading the nation in building decarbonization, supporting both the rapid expansion of renewables and incentivizing the shift to comprehensive building electrification. SMUD has demonstrated this leadership by being the first utility to claim natural gas savings on a carbon equivalency, set a goal of being the first net zero carbon utility and, most recently, has realigned its demand-side management programs to track and report avoided natural gas emissions.
March 5, 2020: California's Brand New Building Decarbonization Efficiency Rebate Programs with Jose Buendia from Southern California Edison
Key to the mass expansion of building electrification will be changing the value proposition of electrification for consumers and installers. Critical to that will be lowering the up-front capital costs of equipment and installations. With changes to the dreaded "three-prong test" last year, California regulators opened the State's over-$1-billion in energy efficiency programs to programs for fuel-switching. After months of work our the Golden State's investor-owned utilities are on the verge of opening the largest investment in building electrification in our nation's history. Hear from one of the architects of this new wave of cutting edge electrification programs, Jose Buendia of Southern California Edison, as he discusses the roll-out of programs for cleaner, more efficient all-electric appliances and homes.
January 9, 2020: The Appraised Value of Carbon Free Homes with Debra Little, Home Performance and Valuation Specialist
Carbon free homes are the best! So can we see this reflected in their appraisal? Can we have the investment made in them returned in their sale? Are any appraisers doing this now and how can we communicate this to realtors? Carbon Free Homes high performance and emissions-reducing efficiency elevate the quality of life for occupants, plus they deliver multiple societal benefits towards cleaner air and water and as a bankable power grid resource. Increasingly, a hopeful percentage of appraisers understand that value for these assets and benefits should be recognized in the market. However, when they look for data to support their appraisals they struggle to find what they need. There’s a circle of communication that needs to happen and it need to begins with all of us; energy and design consultants, builders and those who know the scope of work, the project details and measured results. In this webinar we’ll clarify what assets differentiate carbon-free homes, their potential contribution to market value, appraisal approaches and challenges, and how we can support the integrated process of realization of full market value.
November 14, 2019: What Does it Mean to Get Off Gas? with Amber Mahone from EThree
We welcomed back to the BDC Presents stage Amber Mahone from EThree to discuss their new report: Natural Gas Distribution in California’s Low Carbon Future: Technology Options, Customer Costs, and Public Health Benefits. The future of natural gas, in the context of meeting the California’s air pollution and climate goals, is an important question for natural gas and electric ratepayers, as well as for policymakers interested in enabling the State’s clean energy transition. A new study from the research firm EThree and University of California Irvine, on behalf of the California Energy Commission, Natural Gas Distributionin California’s Low Carbon Future: Technology Options, Customer Costs, andPublic Health Benefits, has just been released (currently in draft form) looking at the implications of the State's climate policies on the natural gas distribution system and the communities that rely upon it.
The study evaluates the potential cost, energy infrastructure, and air quality implications of achieving the state’s economywide climate goals with an emphasis on:
- Technology options to decarbonize the natural gas system. Specifically, what are the costs, and resource potential, for renewable natural gas technologies, including biomethane, hydrogen gas and climate-neutral synthetic natural gas?
- Implications for natural gas customers. What are the potential changes in natural gas demand, rates, and bills associated with meeting California’s climate goals? What are potential strategies to address the equity implications of changes in natural gas rates and utility bills while maintaining the safety and financial viability of the gas system?
- Outdoor air quality and public health. What are the outdoor air quality and health benefits of meeting California’s climate goals, and what are the air quality implications of reducing GHG emissions from natural gas?
November 8, 2019 Title 24 2022 Webinar with Rachel Golden from the Sierra Club and Ted Tiffany from Guttman and Blaevoet
The first in a series of webinars on the 2022 update to Title 24. An update on the update process--where we're at and some of the issues that are key to building decarbonization--and some suggestions to the decarbonization community about potential areas where you might want to provide input and how we can help you provide input.
October 10, 2019 Equitable Electrification with Carmelita Miller of Greenling Institute
California's ambitious climate protection goals can only be met if all Californians can participate fully in the clean energy economy. The momentum to usher in a new era of cleaner, healthier, all-electric new homes and buildings has gained steam in California with more than 50 cities either considering or having passed measures to accelerate all-electric buildings. But we need to consider the challenges and opportunities that building electrification presents for low-income communities - 70 percent of whom are renters caught up in a housing and energy affordability crisis. To that end, we invite Carmelita Miller to discuss A Framework for Powering Resilient Communities. This framework is an in-depth resource that walks through why and how an equity-centered approach to building electrification can be a transformative solution to closing California’s clean energy gap. The report also offers a strategy and case study to help readers understand the effectiveness of centering community voices throughout the process.
September 5, 2019 Heat Pump Water Heaters with Bill Hosken of AO Smith
New product warning! Successful deployment of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) is critical to meeting California’s air quality and decarbonization objectives. Small commercial, particularly small kitchens, are an extremely hard market to reach for HPWHs and this may be the hardest customer segment to electrify. To that end, we were excited to welcome A.O. Smith's Bill Hosken to present on their new small commercial heat pump water heater offering. The CHP-120 is a fully integrated compact commercial water heater ideally suited for many small to medium sized commercial water heating applications. Bill provided a general overview of the features, functions, and benefits of the CHP-120 HPWH and review the typical applications and general details on installation requirements. The CHP-120 is the next step in helping electrify the water heating market. If you like pollution-free water heating of the small commercial type you need to watch this webinar!
August 15, 2019 Induction Cooking Kills the Competition with Richard Young of Frontier Energy
Induction technology has revolutionized electric cooktop cooking by changing the way heat is transferred to cookware. Induction cooktops are more powerful, offer better control, are incredibly energy efficient and much safer when compared to gas burners. So then why do we still have the perception that gas residential cooktops are superior in performance to electric cooktops? There is relatively little information available to date on the benefits of induction cooking for homeowners, making it difficult to even initiate the push for market transformation. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District hired Frontier Energy to commission a report, the Residential Cooktop Performance and Energy Comparison Study, to compare induction, electric resistance and gas stoves performance once and for all. SPOILER ALERT: induction is better! Thank you for joining Frontier Energy's Richard Young as we discuss the empirical proof that induction cooking kills the competition.
August 8, 2019 Home Builders' Perspectives on All-Electric Construction with Nic Dunfee of TRC
Building all-electric homes will change the current construction practice for much of California’s residential new construction market and require acceptance by new home buyers. To understand the opportunities and challenges involved in these changes, the Building Decarbonization Coalition engaged the consulting firm TRC to survey California’s residential new construction market to understand homebuilder knowledge, opinions and needs. Thank you for joining TRC's Nic Dunfee as he presented the results of BDC’s new survey "A Stakeholder Assessment of All-Electric Residential New Construction."
July 25, 2019 "Air Quality Impacts of Electrification in California" with Marcus Alexander of Epri
Are our buildings making us sicker than our cars and trucks? Our power plants? We know building electrification will help our climate efforts but what are the air quality benefits? Marcus Alexander presented on the new report released by The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the California Energy Commission that seeks to answer these and other questions. The report found that Electrification of buildings can avoid 12,300 mortalities per year for California saving $108 billion and that buildings represent California’s greatest opportunity for PM2.5 reduction.
June 4, 2019 "Residential Electrification in California" with Amber Mahone of E3
Amber Mahone presented the results of E3’s new study, “Residential Building Electrification in California,” which provides important insight into the cost-effectiveness of building electrification for households. This study examines costs, savings, and emissions for electric and gas appliances in six different home types in geographical areas (six climate zones) covering over half the state’s population. Unlike prior studies, it closely evaluates the consumer cost perspective on building electrification and quantifies GHG emissions savings by home type.