New Incentive Program for Electrification

The TECH Clean California initiative was recently launched with the aim of accelerating progress toward California’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The initiative, which incentivizes home electrification, is geared toward eligible contractors and focuses on both Heat Pump HVAC and Heat Pump Water Heater installations in existing single and multifamily homes. It will target 40% of the program benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities, supporting more equitable access to sustainable technologies.

Enrolled contractors can earn at minimum $3,000 per installation, and up to $6,600 depending on the location of the project. For single family existing homes, contractors can earn:

• $3,000 for any Heat Pump (HP) HVAC installation

• $3,100 for replacing a gas water heater with a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH)

• $1,000 for replacing an electric water heater with a HPWH.

For multifamily existing homes, the incentives vary based on whether upgrades are for individual or multiple apartment units, as well as the type of system being replaced. There are also incentives available for HVAC systems serving common areas and for electrical panel upgrades. A full outline of the incentives can be found here.

Additionally, certain regions of California, including parts of the Central Coast are located within enhanced regions where local utilities, like Central Coast Community Energy, have partnered with TECH to offer an increased incentive for contractors enrolled and participating in the partner program. The enhanced incentives for Heat Pump HVAC installations in single family homes increase with the efficiency of the unit installed and by following Quality Installation Measures, such as duct sealing/replacement and testing.

Contractors interested in participating can fill out an online enrollment form or contact TECH.contractor@energy-solution.com. Those looking to find enrolled contractors can visit The Switch Is On’s Contractor Directory. Visit https://energy-solution.com/tech-incentives/ for more information on the program, including handouts outlining the incentives, maps showing baseline and enhanced regions, and more.

Hurdle to an All-Electric Home – Panel Amperage

As California and local jurisdictions continue to push our homes toward electric appliances, a hurdle that building professionals must consider is the electrical panel size. In the 1950s it was a 30-amp panel; the 1960s saw the 60-amp panel become common and since then, it has increased to 100-, 150-, or even a 200-amp panel typically for a new home today. In some of our largest custom home projects we are seeing the build team opt for an even larger 400-amp panel.

Some of this increase is coming from generally more electrified lives, but in California, new codes requiring panel space or minimum breaker sizes for water heating, EV charging and PV solar systems are also contributing factors.

Some panel basics. Within each panel, appliances are assigned circuit breakers sized to an amperage. Each circuit breaker only allows so much current (amps) through, before it turns power off (aka “trips”) through that breaker. This is a safety precaution, to keep you from plugging too many things into the same outlet. This means that the home’s electrical panel must have enough space, in amps, to accommodate each device in the home. Breakers need to be oversized for each circuit or appliance since an appliance’s maximum amp draw is typically at startup and then idles to a lower amp draw as it operates.

However, it’s important to note that a 200amp panel can house more than 200amps in breakers, this is why you need to have a Electric Load Calculation prepared to determine the actual panel requirement.

As many new construction single-family residences switch their appliances over from gas to electric. Here is a short list of the average breaker size by appliance for many of the transitioning appliances.

Utilizing these ballpark estimates of appliances, we see how important it is to consider your home’s breaker requirements, especially in a remodel. If you’re planning to build a new home or tackling a remodel it’s important to discuss the electrical requirements of your proposed appliance package with your building professionals.

All-Electric Construction in a Nutshell

Here's a 5-minute video overview of All Electric Homes 101, covering key drivers and strategies for moving away from natural gas in residential construction.

If your firm or organization would like a live presentation of All Electric Homes 101, let us know! We currently are offering presentations virtually and will be back in person when safe to do so.

Presentations, including Q&A, range from 30 minutes to 1 hour to fit your format.

AIA Declares Climate Emergency, and Follows up with Tools and Resources

In August 2021, AIA California formally declared a climate emergency, acknowledging the severity of the climate crisis we are all seeing unfold before us. The declaration recognizes that impacts from drought, flooding, wildfires, heat waves, and biodiversity loss in California come as a result of human activities and it is on all of us to take action to protect our environment. Since then, the AIA has continued to expand its call to action and provide resources specific to our industry.

They remind us that building construction and operation is responsible for 40% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that are a major contributor to climate changes. The declaration issues a call to action for all California architects, allied design professionals, construction industry leaders, and state and local government leaders to accelerate de-carbonization of the built environment.

Specifically, they urge members to:

·       Increase zero carbon design, aligning with California’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.

·       Recognize climate justice as a right, that communities of color are more vulnerable to impacts from climate change, and it is our responsibility to work toward affordable and healthy housing for everyone.

·       Change building codes to accelerate transformation, for example the local San Luis Obispo Green Building Ordinance and Santa Barbara’s All-Electric reach code are steps in the right direction.

·       Design for resilience by knowing what risks there are for each project location and incorporating that into the design. Is it high fire risk? Vulnerable to sea level rise? At risk for flooding? How can we design to mitigate those risks?

·       Understand that California is a leader in global economy and innovation, and that local actions can have a large scale influence.

·       Work with urgency. As AIA put it, “the time for debate is over.” We are already seeing impacts from climate change and we need to act now to build resilience.

AIA California has also committed itself to an extensive list of actions including actively supporting statewide carbon neutrality by 2035, advocating for electrification of all new residential and commercial buildings, and promoting the need for affordable, healthy, zero-carbon housing for everyone.  You can read the full climate emergency declaration here.

Additional resources can be found on AIA’s Climate Action website such as their Climate Action Resource Library with webinars and case studies, and a Framework for Design Excellence, which has more resources on best practices.