Seattle’s city council approves a proposal to ban natural gas in new large multifamily and commercial buildings. (Seattle Times) below – bans natural gas for space heating in new construction of these buildings, or for use in replacement heating systems in older buildings. It also would prohibit the use of natural gas to heat water in new hotels and large apartment buildings, and take other steps to improve energy conservation that include a greater use of more efficient electric heating and cooling systems. The Seattle City Council unanimously approved Commercial Energy Code updates that will advance electrification of the city’s building sector through amended insulation, space heating, water heating and lighting requirements. The code requires all commercial and multi-family buildings taller than three stories to wire for future electrification of appliances; increase on-site solar photovoltaics; reduce envelope heat loss and air leakage; and reduce interior lighting power allowances, among other measures. The code will also restrict fossil fuel space heating and most fossil fuel water heating systems to reduce dependence on gas and oil.  Implementation of the space and water heating measures will take effect in January 2022, while the rest of the code will go into effect on March 15.

Denver aims for ‘net zero energy’ in all new buildings and homes by 2030, LOCAL NEWS, Jan 26, 2021

40 percent of Denver’s 2050 building stock has yet to be built, setting net-zero energy requirements is critical not only to meet climate targets, but also to create economic and health benefits. As RMI’s previous analysis shows, net-zero-energy homes are becoming increasingly cost-effective since they are highly efficient and produce their own renewable energy. What’s more, recent RMI research shows that building a new, all-electric, single-family home in Denver can save families almost $2,900 over 15 years versus a dual-fuel home with a gas hookup. All-electric homes also offer improved indoor air quality by reducing harmful pollutants such as NO₂ that are released by gas appliances like stoves. Research has shown that children living in homes with gas stoves have a 42 percent increased risk of experiencing asthma symptoms.

DENVER (KDVR) — The City of Denver is on an ambitious track to achieve net zero energy in all new buildings and homes by 2030.

• Highly Energy Efficient: This is key because energy efficiency can improve occupant health and comfort while reducing heating and cooling costs.
• All-Electric: Installing modern, efficient electric heat pumps can eliminate emissions associated with burning gas or other fossil fuels on site.
• Powered by Renewable Energy and Electricity (on-site or off-site): Adding renewable energy helps transition to a carbon-free electric grid and ensures the electric heating will be emissions-free.
• Providers of Demand Flexibility for the Grid: Ensuring that buildings have energy storage and can respond to grid signals can improve the reliability and resiliency of a low-carbon electric system.

Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR) released its Net Zero Energy (NZE) New Buildings and Homes Implementation Plan on Tuesday. Three cornerstone components of the plan include updating building codes to require net zero energy by 2024 in all-electric new homes; by 2027 in all-electric new buildings; and by 2030 for new buildings “perform as designed.”

What is Net Zero Energy?

Denver defines “Net Zero Energy (NZE)” as a new building or home that is highly energy-efficient and fully powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy. This means that new buildings and homes will be:

• Highly energy efficient
• All-electric
• Powered by renewable energy
• Providers of demand flexibility for the grid

CASR has been working with Denver’s Climate Action Task Force for net zero new homes in the 2024 Building Code and net zero new buildings in the 2027 Building Code. Ultimately, the targets within the implementation plan will go through each Denver Code Adoption process to be incorporated into the Denver Building and Fire Code. https://kdvr.com/news/local/denver-aims-for-net-zero-energy-in-all-new-buildings-and-homes-by-2030/

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Net Zero New Buildings & Homes

Denver has a goal for all new buildings and homes to achieve net-zero energy by 2030. Denver defines “Net Zero Energy (NZE)” as a new building or home that is: 1. Highly Energy Efficient, 2. All-Electric, 3. Powered by Renewable Energy, and 4. Providers of Demand Flexibility for the Grid.

Denver’s detailed NZE goals are:    

• Net zero energy, all-electric new homes in the 2024 Building Code  
• Net zero energy, all-electric new buildings in the 2027 Building Code 
• New buildings perform as designed (performance verification) in the 2030 Building Code  

Further detail and technical specifications on getting to net zero is detailed in Denver’s 2020 Net Zero Energy (NZE) New Buildings and Homes Implementation Plan. The plan is based on extensive stakeholder input from the Net Zero Energy Stakeholder Advisory Groups and feedback from the community. This NZE New Buildings and Homes Implementation Plan details the targets, supports, and considerations needed to reach net zero energy by 2030. There are also newsletters and emails to keep you updated about our work! Please reach out to our office at EnergyProgram@denvergov.org with questions. 

Net Zero Energy (NZE) Resources

(show below)Code Development for NZE(show below)(show below)NZE Definitions & Guidelines(show below)(show below)NZE New Buildings Implementation Plan(show below)

Denver’s Path to Net Zero Energy (NZE) 

As part of the Implementation Plan development, the two charts below show the paths for commercial buildings and homes. This visual helps show the story about the work required during the Code Adoption Process in order to meet Denver’s climate goals. The Energy Use (vertical axis) uses the Zero Energy Performance Index (zEPI) as an indication of how buildings are performing in relation to net-zero energy goals. The charts visualize the major steps needed to achieve Denver’s vision during future code processes of getting to zero energy buildings and homes.

Denver’s Bold New Plan for Carbon-Free Buildings

February 2, 2021  |  By RMI, Courtney Fieldman and Sneha Ayyagari 

Denver leaders are setting a high bar for other cities in Colorado and nationwide with the release of an ambitious new climate plan focused on buildings. The plan lays out a roadmap to achieve all-electric buildings, setting clear targets to phase out fossil fuels in both homes and commercial buildings. These targets are critical for swiftly reducing carbon emissions from the buildings sector and setting a clear course to meet Colorado’s climate goals.

A Bold Timeline for New Buildings

The plan, developed in partnership with the New Buildings Institute, outlines a pathway towards net-zero new buildings and homes, including:

• Net-zero energy, all-electric new homes in the 2024 Building Code
• Net-zero energy, all-electric new commercial buildings in the 2027 Building Code
• New buildings perform as designed (performance validation) in the 2030 Building Code

The City developed this timeline to put Denver on track to meet its goal of an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, with input from local advisory groups. City planners project that the residential sector will make up the largest portion of new construction in Denver, which makes a swift timeline for net-zero, all-electric homes a priority. If the plan is approved by the Denver City Council, these targets will be among the most ambitious in the country.

The plan details the characteristics of this new generation of clean, efficient homes and commercial buildings. They will be:

• Highly Energy Efficient: This is key because energy efficiency can improve occupant health and comfort while reducing heating and cooling costs.
• All-Electric: Installing modern, efficient electric heat pumps can eliminate emissions associated with burning gas or other fossil fuels on site.
• Powered by Renewable Energy and Electricity (on-site or off-site): Adding renewable energy helps transition to a carbon-free electric grid and ensures the electric heating will be emissions-free.
• Providers of Demand Flexibility for the Grid: Ensuring that buildings have energy storage and can respond to grid signals can improve the reliability and resiliency of a low-carbon electric system.

Denver is also developing a plan for electrifying existing buildings, which will address how to strategically achieve carbon-free buildings within Denver; this plan is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

Economic, Health, and Climate Benefits

Given that 40 percent of Denver’s 2050 building stock has yet to be built, setting net-zero energy requirements is critical not only to meet climate targets, but also to create economic and health benefits. As RMI’s previous analysis shows, net-zero-energy homes are becoming increasingly cost-effective since they are highly efficient and produce their own renewable energy. What’s more, recent RMI research shows that building a new, all-electric, single-family home in Denver can save families almost $2,900 over 15 years versus a dual-fuel home with a gas hookup. All-electric homes also offer improved indoor air quality by reducing harmful pollutants such as NO₂ that are released by gas appliances like stoves. Research has shown that children living in homes with gas stoves have a 42 percent increased risk of experiencing asthma symptoms.

Momentum Builds Nationwide (Including in Cold Climates)

The introduction of Denver’s net zero plan highlights that all-electric building codes are a pragmatic solution to climate mitigation even in colder climates where heat pump technologies have not traditionally been used. This follows a growing trend of cities working to pass policies that reduce emissions in buildings (see map here).

Given that city-level action has the capacity to lower emissions 70 percent globally, Denver is just one of many proving itself as a leader on building decarbonization. In doing so, it joins progressive actions being taken by Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington DC using new building performance standards to accelerate emission reductions and meet their climate goals.

States like Maine, Massachusetts, and New York have also included efficient heat pumps as a key strategy in achieving their climate goals and are continuing to facilitate more widespread adoption. Denver now serves as a leading case study highlighting the capacity for city-level action to bend the curve of emissions and make our communities more resilient, healthier, and equitable over time.

Seattle City Council passes measure to end most natural gas use in commercial buildings and some apartments

Feb. 1, 2021

By Hal Bernton  and David Gutman

The Seattle City Council on Monday unanimously approved changes to energy codes that will further clamp down on natural gas use in new commercial and apartment buildings taller than three stories.

The ordinance bans natural gas for space heating in new construction of these buildings, or for use in replacement heating systems in older buildings. It also would prohibit the use of natural gas to heat water in new hotels and large apartment buildings, and take other steps to improve energy conservation that include a greater use of more efficient electric heating and cooling systems.

The energy code changes are part of a broader effort to find ways to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels that drive climate change. Without the code changes, Seattle officials projected the building emissions would have been 12% higher by 2050, when the city government has set a target of being carbon neutral.

In Seattle, and elsewhere around the state, many politicians are rallying around a blueprint for a low-carbon future that involves more electrification of the building and transportation industries, and then finding more ways to produce that power without generating greenhouse gases.

Councilmember Dan Strauss, the lead sponsor, said the changes give Seattle “one of the most forward-thinking energy codes in the country.”

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, in a statement released in January that detailed the code changes, called electrifying buildings an “important step in the many actions needed to curb climate pollution.”ADVERTISINGSkip Adhttps://ce11f5c40c003fb4ef2259626d12c4e6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlSkip Adhttps://ce11f5c40c003fb4ef2259626d12c4e6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.htmlSkip Adhttps://ce11f5c40c003fb4ef2259626d12c4e6.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

The energy code amendments will continue to allow commercial buildings and apartments to be constructed with natural gas for cooking. But electrical outlets would be required near stoves so that electric stoves could be installed later.

The new codes also do not cover new construction of houses and town houses, which have energy codes set by the state that now continue to allow natural gas heating.

Natural gas-industry officials have cautioned about switching too much of the energy load to the electrical-generation system, which is undergoing new strains as coal-fired generation declines amid a big expansion of more variable solar and wind power

“On cold winter days like this, natural gas is an essential part of the energy system — for instance, it provides about two-thirds of the energy used by the city of Seattle on peak demand days,” said Janet Kim, a spokeswoman for Puget Sound Energy (PSE), who said the company did not take a position on the changes to the Seattle energy codes.

PSE, which delivers natural gas to some 150,000 customers in Seattle, has set a goal of reduce carbon emissions from natural gas sales by 30% in 2030 by substituting alternatives such as gas from landfills. It seeks to go “beyond” no net carbon emissions by 2045, according to Kim.

Seattle has set a target of being carbon neutral by 2050, which would require dramatically lowering greenhouse gas emissions that in 2018 totaled more than 3.1 million metric tons.

A study of Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions found that, as of 2018, buildings accounted for nearly a quarter of this pollution, and had increased by 8% compared to 2016. The study indicated that commercial buildings generated more than half of these emissions.

Jessica Finn Coven, director of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, called the report, when it was released in December, a “sobering wake-up call for us. We continue to be far away from our goals and have started trending in the wrong direction.”

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @hbernton.David Gutman: 206-464-2926 or dgutman@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @davidlgutman.

** In Smart Cities Dive

• The Seattle City Council unanimously approved Commercial Energy Code updates that will advance electrification of the city’s building sector through amended insulation, space heating, water heating and lighting requirements. The code requires all commercial and multi-family buildings taller than three stories to wire for future electrification of appliances; increase on-site solar photovoltaics; reduce envelope heat loss and air leakage; and reduce interior lighting power allowances, among other measures. The code will also restrict fossil fuel space heating and most fossil fuel water heating systems to reduce dependence on gas and oil. 
• Implementation of the space and water heating measures will take effect in January 2022, while the rest of the code will go into effect on March 15.

Electrification of the building sector has become a trend along the West Coast, particularly as jurisdictions struggle with poor air quality due to out-of-control wildfires. Berkeley made history in July 2019 as the first city to ban natural gas infrastructure in new low-rise residential buildings, sending a ripple effect across California where more than 40 cities, including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, have now implemented measures to push fossil fuels out of new construction.

These efforts even led California to the top of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) annual State Efficiency Scorecard in December, for the first time since 2016.

The push for building electrification eventually reached Seattle, where greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the building sector made up 37% of the city’s total core emissions in 2018 — an 8.1% increase from 2016 emission levels. In a statement to vocalize support of the energy code updates, Mayor Jenny Durkan warned that inaction would lead to a further building emissions uptick of 12% by 2050.

Seattle’s energy code updates may now influence statewide action in Washington, where GHG emissions from the building sector are up 50% since 1990. To combat this pollution, Gov. Jay Inslee introduced the Healthy Homes & Clean Buildings bill in December, which would require zero-carbon new building construction in 2030 and beyond.

Some energy efficiency advocates are also anticipating California Gov. Gavin Newsom will fold proposed building electrification requirements into his state’s energy efficiency standards. 

Seattle’s building energy code updates saw vast interest in the council’s Land Use and Neigborhoods Committee meeting on Jan. 27 where local residents, as well as representatives from E2, the American Institute of Architects, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other advocacy organizations, expressed their support in the public comment period.

“When future historians look back at our time, there are going to be two issues that they’re going to comment on how well did we respond,” said Seattle resident Michael Ruby in the meeting, noting the first as Benjamin Franklin’s challenge to maintain a republic. “The other that we really need to respond to is, how aggressively did we respond to the challenge of global warming? Did we have the courage to do the very difficult things that need to be done to actually make a difference? We need at this point to adopt the Seattle commercial energy code.”

Yet the energy code updates did not have unanimous approval from the public. In that same meeting, local affordable housing developer Benjamin Maritz argued the new code can cost developers up to $15,000 more to construct their apartment buildings, which can translate to a rent increase of up to $100 per month for tenants.

“This technology does not pay for itself. It must be paid for by our city’s renters who are currently experiencing both COVID and the housing crisis. This is the wrong trade off,” Maritz said.

A coalition of natural gas companies in Washington and Oregon dubbed “Partnership for Energy Progress” are expected to spend $1 million on a public relations campaign to promote natural gas as part of the region’s clean energy future, the Seattle Times reports. Puget Sound Energy and Cascade Natural Gas are reported as anticipated members of the coalition.

Energy efficiency advocates have dismissed cost concerns by arguing building electrification will have long-term economical benefits for nearly all cities. An October study from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) found electrifying space and water heating systems alone can reduce utility costs by up to 9% annually. The study analyzed Seattle along with a number of its peers in the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge, which are all working toward emissions reduction in their respective building sectors. 

Recommended Reading:

•  SMART CITIES DIVESan Francisco’s gas ban on new buildings could prompt statewide action
•  SMART CITIES DIVESan Jose, Oakland join growing list of California cities to ban natural gas construction

**

2020: Watt a Year for Building Electrification!

December 16, 2020  |  By RMI – Taylor Gruenwald and Mina Lee 

While 2020 brought a host of challenges to the country, many states and cities still forged ahead with actions to address the climate impacts of a stubborn sector: buildings. Across the United States, local leaders are acknowledging the climate, economic, and health impacts of burning fossil fuels in buildings and accelerating the transition to modern, clean electric appliances.

From all-electric building codes to heat pump deployments, here is a look back at some of the most noteworthy state-level progress on building electrification this year. Together, these developments demonstrate the growing realization among policymakers that eliminating emissions from buildings is integral to limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Nowhere is this more evident than in President-Elect Biden’s ambitious climate plan, which aims to slash the carbon footprint of US building stock 50 percent by 2035.

Cities and States Enact New Policies

Many cities and states enacted new laws, updated buildings codes, and advanced regulatory action to phase out gas appliances and ensure homes are heated and powered with clean electricity.

California

• December: To date, 40 jurisdictions in California, including San Jose, the 10^th largest city in the United States, have passed policies to limit gas appliances in new buildings. This signals far-reaching support and momentum for an all-electric new construction requirement ahead of the 2022 code cycle.
• November: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced support for an all-electric new construction requirement for the 2022 code cycle. The Bay Area Air Quality Management district also committed to taking significant action to limit emissions from gas appliances in buildings, including developing rules and indoor air quality guidance documents to reduce NO_x emissions from these appliances. The new rules have the potential to drastically reduce the number of gas appliances in use.
• April: The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) committed $200 million to two pilot programs that will build all-electric new homes and finance market development of low-emission space and water heating equipment. These programs are an important demonstration of the feasibility of all-electric homes and a recognition of the role that electric space and water heating will play in the state’s climate change mitigation strategy.

New York

• December: Two New York gas and electric utilities agreed to stop promoting the use of gas, instead directing customers to information on how to reduce their gas consumption and adopt alternate forms of energy consumption, dealing a significant blow to gas system expansion in upstate New York. The two utilities were also denied funding to build and expand two major gas pipelines, and they agreed to develop strategies to reduce gas usage to align with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
• October: The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest residential landlord in New York City, released its strategic plan to reduce carbon emissions from its properties to align with Local Law 97 and New York State’s 2050 economy-wide carbon neutrality goals. Widespread electrification of heating, cooking, and domestic hot water are central to NYCHA’s strategic plan.

Washington

• December: Seattle‘s mayor announced that the city will update its energy code to eliminate the use of fossil fuels for space heating in new commercial and large multifamily construction as well as water heating for large multifamily construction. This will make Seattle the first city in Washington State to do so.

Missouri

• June: St. Louis established a building performance standard that mandates reductions in energy use intensity of large municipal, commercial, institutional, and multifamily residential buildings—making it only the fourth US jurisdiction to do so. Some buildings with gas appliances will need to convert to more efficient electric alternatives in order to achieve these reductions.

Massachusetts

• December: Two municipalities in Massachusetts—Arlington and Brookline—passed home rule petitions that would allow the towns to require all-electric appliances in new construction, if supported by the state legislature. With nine other municipalities actively researching and exploring similar ordinances, there is growing pressure on the state legislature to approve the petitions and allow all-electric implementation.

States Plan for an Electrified Future

Several states detailed the actions they will take to electrify space heating on the road to eliminating fossil fuel use in buildings, while others opened formal regulatory proceedings to draft plans that will transition utilities away from gas distribution.

New Jersey

• January: New Jersey released its Energy Master Plan, which stated that electrifying 90 percent of New Jersey’s buildings by 2050 is essential to meeting the state’s climate goals.

Maine

• November: Maine released its Climate Action Plan that calls for the installation of at 145,000 heat pumps by 2025. By 2030, 130,000 homes should have one to two heat pumps installed and an additional 115,000 homes will be using a whole-home heat pump system. With 550,000 total households in Maine, this adoption of heat pumps would represent the most decisive step towards full electrification of space heating in the state thus far.

Colorado

• September: According to a draft of Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, heat pumps must comprise over 60 percent of residential heating equipment sales by 2030 and over 95 percent by 2040. By 2050, more than 90 percent of space and water heating will need to be electric across Colorado’s buildings. The roadmap also acknowledged that the buildings sector must reduce emissions by 100 percent by 2050 to meet the state’s climate emissions reduction goals, emphasizing the important role building electrification plays in economy-wide decarbonization.

Michigan

• April: Ann Arbor released its A2Zero Climate Action Plan, which calls for 30 percent of single-family homes and 25 percent of all rentals to be all electric by 2030. If adopted, these measures would be the first of their kind in the state. In addition, all new residential and commercial buildings will have the capacity to operate without the use of fossil gas, reducing the cost associated with existing building retrofits in the future.

Nevada

• December: Nevada released its State Climate Strategy which acknowledges the need to transition away from fossil gas use in residential and commercial buildings. The strategy cited an all-electric new construction requirement and a ban on the expansion of the gas distribution network as possible ways of accelerating the transition.

California, New York, Colorado, Massachusetts

• Regulators in these states opened investigations into the future of gas distribution, which could lead to utility plans to transition away from fossil fuels and align with the states’ ambitious emissions reduction goals.

Climate Change Task Forces Highlight Building Electrification

A few states convened working groups to address the overwhelming need to begin electrifying buildings as a vital part of their climate solutions.

Maryland

• November: In its annual report, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change recommended that 50 percent of space heating equipment sales be electric heat pumps by 2025. The commission also recommended that the Maryland Building Codes Administration require new construction to be all-electric for single-family homes by 2025, commercial buildings by 2026, and public buildings as soon as possible. These provisions would be the most ambitious actions on electrification in the state if adopted.

Connecticut

• September: Connecticut’s Mitigation Strategies Working Group recommended that the state’s Department of Administrative Services revise building codes to include an all-electric requirement. They also recommended that the state set an end date for expansion of the gas grid and ban new gas installations on the existing grid. Expanding gas distribution networks and usage is incompatible with Connecticut’s emissions reduction goals.

Wisconsin

• December: The Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change released new policy recommendations, calling for reductions in energy use to be achieved through building electrification, among other methods.

With these developments, 2021 promises to be an even more important year for building electrification. Coupled with the new administration’s strong support, more states and cities are poised to make important progress on requiring all-electric appliances in new construction, phasing out gas appliances in existing buildings, and winding down the gas distribution system to protect the climate and future ratepayers alike.