Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
44%of all Berkeley’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 were due to energy used in residential or commercial buildings
Building Energy Saving Ordinance2015
Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance required all homes to complete up to 11 minimal energy efficiency measures when a home was sold, transferred, or underwent major renovations.
Building Energy Saving Ordinance (BESO) requires Berkeley building owners to complete energy efficiency opportunity assessments.
These findings are made transparent to the public in order to provide residents and building owners with means and motivations to reduce their energy consumption, increase savings, and promote sustainability and resiliency citywide.
Why do we need to reduce building energy use in Berkeley?
How did BESO originate?
BERKELEY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
Bui ld ingsTransportation
& Land UseCommunity Outreach
Waste Management
Adaptation & Resilience
Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance required all commercial buildings to meet minimal energy efficiency measures when a building was sold or transferred.
Neither state ordinance mandated any public reporting, or achieved deep energy savings.
Spatial analysis was conducted which helped to identify patterns and inform policy making. The following presentation covers:
• the background of BESO• how it works and who it affects• upgrades and rebate opportunities• current energy analysis• recommendations for further work
Berkeley residents voted to take decisive action on global warming by approving Measure G, which advised the Mayor to work with the community to develop a plan for an 80% reduction in Berkeley’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
2009
2006
1993
1987
PurPose
RECO
CECO
MEASURE G
Reduce emissions 30% by 202080% by 2050
“Using energy information and a whole-building performance approach to gain deeper energy savings”
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
JO
Jo is a realtor working in West Berkeley.
Jo assists in time of sale compliance,
helping sellers complete assessments
and helping buyers understand them.
Jo’s clients make upgrades according to the recommendations
that were made.
Jo encourages her clients to prioritize
efficiency when selling a house by indicating the increased value of
green homes.
Charlie is buying a Victorian home on the
Northside.
Charlie arranges for an assessment of his
home, and he reviews the report.
Charlie receives a rebate, which allows
him to invest in efficiency upgrades
and reduce his energy bills.
Charlie sees the value of his investment in an improved score and reduced utility bills.
CHARLIE
Every home (all buildings starting in 2018) undergoes a comprehensive
energy assessment by a registered
assessor that will determine the home
energy score.
The assessors provide tailored
recommendations on how to save energy as well
as incentives for energy efficiency
upgrades, and rebates to the
owner.
Assessments are then made
publicly available
and are provided to prospective buyers for all properties, both residential
(prior to sale) and commercial (on a
phase-in schedule).
STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3
SAM
Sam works as an assessor evaluating home energy
scores.
Sam reviews and assesses various residential and
commercial properties.
Sam provides home energy scores
and matches her recommendations to
available rebates.
This information is shared with the city government, provides a better
understanding of the city’s energy usage and targets policies more
effectively.
PeoPle
Whom does BESO affect?
How does BESO work?
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
Loans for:
Federal
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
• washing machine
• water heater
• insulation
California
The Home Energy Score (HES) is a national rating system developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, which models expected energy use. Recommendations show how to improve the energy efficiency of a home to achieve a higher score and save money.
Sam conducts an energy assessment of Charlie’s home.1
Sam records details about Charlie’s house, including:2
3 Charlie’s home receives a home energy score of 3, indicating that it could benefit from significant energy improvements.
HES is based on 40 data points taking into account factors such as airtightness, wall construction, windows, heating and cooling systems, and estimated yearly energy usage.
insulation type
window area
heating method
Sam recommends a number of improvements, and provides Charlie with a roadmap of relevant rebates and financing options to help him:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What is the Home Energy Score (HES)?
A score of 10 indicates a house with low energy usage.
A score of 1 indicates a house with energy efficiency opportunities.
Charlie receives a PACE loan to help him finance upgrades, as well as a rebate on a new water heater.
4
5
Program
building envelope
Energy Upgrade California
Fannie Mae Home Efficiency Loan
Tax incentives
Rebate Programs
Financing Options
Mortgage loans providing affordable financing for efficiency improvements
Includes rebates for:
• solar panels
• geothermal heat pumps
• small wind turbines
Includes rebates for:
• energy efficiency upgrades
• renewable energy installations
What is the BESO process?
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
over 300 homes assessed
PACKAGE 1
Insulation was one of the most commonly recommended items, with floor insulation recommended in approximately 40% of all homes. Insulation was often recommended for all areas simultaneously.
On-demand water heaters were frequently paired with whole house air sealing and gas furnaces.
Which upgrades are often recommended together?
aNalYsIs 1: Home eNergY scores
Attic Insulation
Wall Insulation
Floor Insulation
Whole House Air Sealing
Duct Repair
Central Gas Furnace
Gas Storage Water Heater
Gas On-Demand Water Heater
Natural Gas Wall Heater
Fireplace Door Damper
Attic Insulation 45% 89% 69% 47% 64% 47% 17% 9% 27%
Wall Insulation 77% 84% 98% 45% 70% 39% 27% 18% 18%
Floor Insulation 65% 36% 55% 40% 59% 57% 13% 9% 25%
Whole House Air Sealing 76% 63% 84% 49% 71% 44% 19% 10% 22%
Duct Repair 76% 43% 89% 72% 70% 46% 22% 13% 37%
Central Gas Furnace 68% 44% 86% 68% 45% 54% 15% 11% 23%
Gas Storage Water Heater 54% 26% 91% 46% 32% 58% 3% 11% 23%
Gas On-Demand Water Heater 100% 92% 100% 100% 77% 85% 15% 23% 38%
Natural Gas Wall Heater 70% 80% 90% 70% 60% 80% 70% 30% 20%
Fireplace Door Damper 71% 29% 93% 54% 61% 57% 54% 18% 7%
average score of 4.71in Berkeley
average energy savings of 21%
How could we package upgrades to make them more affordable?PACKAGE 2 PACKAGE 3
central gas furnace + floor insulation
ON DEMAND
gas on-demand water heater + air sealing natural gas wall heater + whole house insulation
HOME ENERGY SCORES
ON DEMAND
IF this is installed THEN this is installed __% of the time
101
What have Berkeley’s scores told us thus far?
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
Based on 2015-2016 data, the overall energy usage map on the left depicts the total residential and commercial energy usage within Berkeley. The areas around Downtown and West Berkeley have much higher energy usage intensities, likely due to commercial land use.
The land use map on the right indicates that the areas of high energy usage coincide with the areas containing commercial buildings.
Energy
Intensity
Use+ ÷)( =Total Annual Energy Usage
(Electric + Gas)Area
Buildings varying in size and purpose consume energy differently, which can make comparing them difficult. Here we use a metric called EUI which measures energy usage per square foot to compare the efficiency of residential and commercial buildings across Berkeley.
kBtu per year square feet kBtu per square foot per year
This map shows that commercial EUIs vary widely between zipcodes.
What kind of energy are we using in our city?
ELECTRICITY
NATURAL GAS
The electricity usage map on the left and natural gas usage map on the right indicate higher usage overall in Downtown Berkeley with higher natural gas usage in the Berkeley hills.
In contrast to commercial buildings, this map shows that residential EUIs are largely consistent between zipcodes.
aNalYsIs 2: eNergY sNaPsHot
TOTAL ENERGY USAGE LAND USE
How else can we compare building energy usage?
HighLow
HighLow HighLow
CommercialResidential
COMMERCIAL EUI RESIDENTIAL EUIHigh
Low
Where is the most energy used in Berkeley?
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
• Downtown Berkeley uses the most residential energy in the city
HOME VINTAGE
ENERGY USAGEPER HOUSEHOLD 2015-16
% OF SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING MEDIAN YEARLY INCOME
TOTAL RESIDENTIAL ENERGY USAGE 2015-16
aNalYsIs 3: resIdeNtIal eNergY
• Homes in the northern hills consume the most energy per household
• Housing stock is relatively uniform in age
• Oldest homes are concentrated in the western section of the Berkeley hills and the central portion of the city
• Berkeley’s highest income households are located in the hills
• Homes in this area use relatively more energy, especially from natural gas.
• Single family housing is concentrated in the northern hills
• Multi family housing is concentrated around the UC campus
• Single family households use more energy than multi-family.
What factors affect residential energy use?
HighLow HighLow
HighLow HighLow HighLow
Who is using this energy?
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
ENERGY USAGEPER HOUSEHOLD 2015-16
Berkeley could save up to 300,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions every year if the city fully utilized its solar potential - that’s almost as much as San Francisco’s now-derelict Hunters Point plant emitted every year.
The map of installed solar projects shows a concentration of installations in North Berkeley and the hills, while the greatest solar potential lies largely in West Berkeley.
West Berkeley was also an area with relatively high usage, and therefore could benefit from solar installations.
1. It’s clean 2. It’s not as expensive as you think
Solar is becoming cheaper: a typical solar installation can cost
as little as $15,000 and could pay for itself after just 2 years with
associated US tax credit programs.
Energy produced using solar panels generates
20x less CO2 than energy from coal
burning.
Is Berkeley utilizing its solar potential?
aNalYsIs 4: solar PoteNtIal
CURRENTLY INSTALLED SOLAR vs. ENERGY USAGE
CURRENTLY INSTALLED SOLAR vs. SOLAR POTENTIAL
High usageLow usageHigh potentialLow potential Solar installation
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
Tota
l ins
talle
d c
apac
ity
90
Price of so
lar ($/Watt)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
001975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Number of solar installations vs. Price of solar energy
Why choose solar?
Students Christopher Chutz | Greg Lyons | Lottie Macnair | Molly McCormick | Rei Van Instructors Ginette Wessel | Rick Kos | Alison Ecker | Aaron Welch | Eric Anderson | David Koo[IN]CITY Summer 2016, UC Berkeley
DECODING BUILDING ENERGY USE IN BERKELEY
What are the next steps in the analysis?
Single family housing uses more energy.
Home vintage does not appear to correlate with energy usage.
Go after the “low-hanging fruit”: package fast and affordable upgrades for single family homeowners.
Higher income areas use more natural gas, and have a larger number of solar installations.
Carry out more detailed analysis of how vintage affects energy use as more data is obtained.
FINdINgs aNd recommeNdatIoNs
There is potential for more solar to be installed in West Berkeley.
Promote active solar heating technologies in high income areas.
Assess solar potential in industrial and commercial areas during the next phase of BESO.
FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS CHALLENGESEffectively co-operate with rebate providers.
Ensure that HES data is of high quality, to be able to identify relationships between housing characteristics and energy usage.
Regulatory and economic barriers to matching solar potential with demand.
What smart technologies could Berkeley utilize?
• Smarter utility meters could transmit data in real time at a more granular level• This data could allow Berkeley to better understand its energy usage over time and target policy more effectively.• Smart home metering could also give Berkeley residents a better understanding of their own energy usage in order to inform their energy use decisions.• Multi-unit residential buildings could be outfitted with meters that allow the owner to better understand energy usage of individual units within their buildings.
Smart GridsSmart Metering• Smart Grids use technology to detect and react to local changes in energy usage.• By creating a smart grid of 30-50 clustered homes, Berkeley could...
» Track energy usage at the circuit level, rather than by home, to receive more coherent data » Tailor utility programs to demand response
More granular data for more focused
targeting
Greater transparency between Berkeley
and PG&E
More detailed analysis of how and
where energy is used
Structured recommendations for
achieving energy goals
What have we found, and what should be done?