Is it time to electrify?
You’re on your coop or condo board and you keep hearing about electrifying buildings. What is the buzz about heat pumps and where do you start?
For decades, NYC building owners, property managers and coop and condo boards have been recommended and incentivized to switch from oil to natural gas. The energy efficiency codes are many and have been refined and harshened over the years.
According to NYSERDA, conventional heating and cooling systems in New York State are responsible for 37 percent of energy consumption and 32 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Incentives are now available for heat pump installations to help increase energy efficiency, use renewable energy, and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.
Heat pumps run on electricity, hence the term electrifying buildings. The electric grid uses fossil fuels, but it is working on converting to clean energy and eliminating fossil fuels at a rather fast clip. In addition, modern heat pump systems can transfer over three times more energy in the form of heat than they consume in electrical energy.
In 2021, NYC passed a bill banning natural gas for new construction starting in 2024. The law did not address existing buildings. However, under the current sentiment to eliminate fossil fuels, is converting from oil to gas the optimal way to go?
Meanwhile, there is all this hype and talk about heat pumps. The technology has been used successfully in Europe for many years. In the US, only 1% of homes were heated with heat pumps in 2018.
Just like refrigerators, heat pumps transfer hot air into cold to replace air conditioners. The same technology is used to transfer cold air into hot to replace heaters. This is how heat pumps can replace the old boiler no matter whether it runs on natural gas or oil.
The question is, where do you start? How do you decide on what system is optimal for your particular building structure and existing heating systems? That’s where it becomes difficult to make the right choice. Do boards start with asking their property management firm, hiring an engineer, and energy auditor, or an energy efficiency consultant?
These are all great options and that’s really up to the coop or condo board to decide. These options all come with an up-front fee. However, there are some options where the cost of an engineer is included, so our recommendation is to start with an energy consultant.
Contact us today to get help with your energy efficiency plan.
The Folson Group are energy efficiency consultants who optimize ways to reduce the amount of energy the building is using, making your building greener and more sustainable. From planning to execution and completion, their customers have reduced the cost of energy by up to 40%.
Email us at info@thefolsongroup.com or call us at (917) 648-8151 to find out more.