Electrification + Affordable Housing: What You Need to Know

To achieve our 2050 climate goals we must go all-electric. But how do we get there? For new construction, all-electric solutions are increasingly viable. However, all-electric solutions for existing buildings are considerably more challenging. The upfront cost to upgrade old buildings to a level that ensures efficient (and economical) performance can be prohibitive. Worse still, going all-electric without sufficiently improving envelopes can result in high operational costs for both owners and residents, jeopardizing our ability to provide and preserve truly affordable high-quality housing. Using case study examples, we will walk through the implications of electrification of multifamily affordable housing, and discuss as a group what the barriers and opportunities are associated with this shift. In this session, we will discuss the technical solutions, policy changes, and investments needed to ensure affordable housing meaningfully leads and benefits from the clean energy revolution. 

Session Speaker(s): 

Session Chair(s): 

Event Time: 

Friday, May 7, 2021 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Room / Location:

CEU Information: 

AIA 1.0 LU/HSW
GBCI LEED BD+C, O+M 1.0 hour
Mass. CSL 1.0 hour Energy
Conference-day attendance credits available from PHIUS, RESNET, and Mass. CSL

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe ways to plan for all-electric affordable housing new construction
  • Quantify the capital costs and operating impacts of electrification in affordable housing
  • Think critically about leveraging their own areas of expertise to help overcome the barriers associated with effective implementation of electrification in affordable housing
  • Advocate for the resources, programs, and policies needed to center and further decarbonization of affordable housing

Session ID: 

BOS21-717