https://www.srevilak.net/wiki/index.php?title=Clean_Heat_For_Arlington_-_Feb_27th,_2020&feed=atom&action=historyClean Heat For Arlington - Feb 27th, 2020 - Revision history2024-03-29T13:48:45ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.41.0https://www.srevilak.net/wiki/index.php?title=Clean_Heat_For_Arlington_-_Feb_27th,_2020&diff=887&oldid=prevSteveR: SteveR moved page Clean Heat For Arlington - Mar 9th, 2020 to Clean Heat For Arlington - Feb 27th, 2020: Got the date wrong2020-03-19T23:31:08Z<p>SteveR moved page <a href="/wiki/Clean_Heat_For_Arlington_-_Mar_9th,_2020" class="mw-redirect" title="Clean Heat For Arlington - Mar 9th, 2020">Clean Heat For Arlington - Mar 9th, 2020</a> to <a href="/wiki/Clean_Heat_For_Arlington_-_Feb_27th,_2020" title="Clean Heat For Arlington - Feb 27th, 2020">Clean Heat For Arlington - Feb 27th, 2020</a>: Got the date wrong</p>
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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>Held in the Lyons room of town hall.<br />
<br />
(Anne Wright) Ms. Wright gives a short introduction. The warrant<br />
article's main motion is nearly finalized, and should be ready for the<br />
hearing on March 9th.<br />
<br />
(Amos Meeks) Amos provides an overview of the proposed bylaw. It will<br />
prohibit new fossil fuel piping in new construction and gut rehabs.<br />
It won't affect existing buildings, small renovations, or additions.<br />
The proposed bylaw will exempt backup generators, gas cooking<br />
appliances, propane grills, hot water heating systems for large<br />
buildings, research and development facilities, and medical<br />
facilities. It will not prohibit the repair of existing gas piping,<br />
or gas piping not related to heat systems.<br />
<br />
Switching to heat pumps will reduce emissions, even if the electricity<br />
is generated by natural gas. Compared to natural gas systems, the<br />
additional cost to install a heat pump is less than $1000, and the<br />
cost to operate is about $40 more per month.<br />
<br />
Heat pumps are already being used to heat multi-unit affordable<br />
housing complexes. For example, the Finch building (under<br />
construction on Concord Ave in Cambridge) and the O'Shea house in<br />
Brookline. We expect approximately 70 buildings/year to be affected<br />
by this bylaw, which is 0.4--0.5% of our total housing.<br />
<br />
Although the bylaw includes several exemptions, there will be a waiver<br />
and appeals process, to accommodate uncontemplated situations and<br />
hardships.<br />
<br />
(Coralie) To reach net zero by 2050, we'll have to decarbonize our<br />
buildings. Government, individuals, and industry all recognize the<br />
need to act.<br />
<br />
Today, 44.6% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings,<br />
34.3% come from transportation, and 21% comes from industry. In<br />
residential buildings 43% of greenhouse gas emissions comes from<br />
heating and 19% comes from heating hot water.<br />
<br />
Moving to electric in new construction avoids fossil fuel lock-in.<br />
Massachusetts electric generation produces less greenhouse gases each<br />
year.<br />
<br />
(Jeremy Coo) A heat pump is like an air conditioner, but it can run<br />
in two directions. Heat pumps can be air source or ground source.<br />
Water heaters can also be run from heat pumps. Resistance heating is<br />
very inefficient. Heat pumps transfer heat rather than generating it.<br />
<br />
Heat pumps are common in the south and mid-Atlantic. Newer ones can<br />
operate efficiently down to 5 degrees farenheit. In 2017, 10% of new<br />
MA homes have a heat pump as their only source of heating. Ground<br />
source heat pumps work very efficiently in cold climates.<br />
<br />
The number of installed heat pumps has been increasing year over<br />
year. Maine started incentivizing cold climate heat pumps in 2012,<br />
and they've installed over 30,000 of them.<br />
<br />
A typical gas heating system costs $11,700 to install and<br />
$1,500/year to operate. A typical heat pump costs $12,500 to<br />
install and $2,000/year to operate. The operating cost can drop to<br />
$1,300/year if the heat pump is paired with photovoltaic solar<br />
panels.<br />
<br />
(Beverly Craig, Bob Fitzpatrick) These speakers are from the<br />
Massachusetts clean energy center, https://www.masscec.com/.<br />
They're here to talk about the finances of heat pumps.<br />
<br />
The Mass clean energy center runs a program to encourage clean energy<br />
adoption. Heat pumps work in cold climates, even Alaska and Northern<br />
Canada.<br />
<br />
Multi-family buildings tend to have lower heating costs, as these<br />
buildings have fewer exterior walls per unit. Almost all new<br />
multi-family construction uses heat pumps. Compared to single-family<br />
homes, multi-family gives you a more efficient building envelope.<br />
<br />
Heat pumps can handle water-based systems for up to 8 units. Beyond<br />
that, the technology isn't quite there yet.<br />
<br />
Mass clean energy is sponsoring passive house affordable housing<br />
projects. The Finch building in Cambridge is the first of these.<br />
<br />
The cost of heating is disproportionately higher for low-income<br />
families. In high-income brackets, 2.3% of income goes to heating.<br />
That increases to 3.5% for middle-income households, and 7.2% for<br />
low-income household. Reducing the cost of heat makes a big<br />
difference in the amount of money a low-income household has to spend.<br />
<br />
Currently, affordable housing is being incentivized to use passive<br />
house designs.<br />
<br />
(Anne Wright) Ms. Wright talks about the waiver and appeals process.<br />
Homeowners and contractors can apply for waivers. The ZBA will hear<br />
these appeals. Appeals will be granted based on the projects<br />
financial plan and building details. The Arlington Housing Authority<br />
will get special consideration, due to their limited capital funds.<br />
<br />
(Jessie Grey, Brookline Town Meeting Member) Mr. Grey talks about<br />
Brookline's experience in passing their clean heat ordinance. The<br />
idea seemed controversial at first, but people eventually realized<br />
that it was practical. The final vote was 211--3, but many town<br />
meeting members had to be convinced. The proponents spent a lot of<br />
time doing research and talking with people. Some of the sticking<br />
points raised were: do heat pumps work; would they increase<br />
construction costs; would it slow development, and would it really<br />
reduce emissions. People needed factual answers to these questions.<br />
<br />
Next, we move into a question and answer session.<br />
<br />
Question: What are the operating costs associated with heat pumps,<br />
without improvements to the building envelope?<br />
<br />
Single-family homes tend to have more heating needs than cooling.<br />
Multi-family homes are the opposite; they have more cooling needs than<br />
heating. Heat pumps are more efficient at cooling, which makes them a<br />
very good fit for multi-family buildings. With envelope improvements<br />
they'll work even better.<br />
<br />
Question: Why require electric heat instead of letting people choose<br />
their preferred technologies? Why not let the technology sell itself?<br />
<br />
We'd like to avoid retrofit costs later on. Also, many developers<br />
have standard building plans that incorporate gas heat. We'd like to<br />
get them to move to electric heat instead.<br />
<br />
Question: What will the waiver criteria be? How discretionary will<br />
the process be?<br />
<br />
We modeled the waiver process based on the Brookline bylaw. In<br />
general, you'll be able to get a waiver if electric heat would make<br />
the project financially unfeasible. The goal is to have a mechanism<br />
to address special cases we haven't though of or considered.<br />
<br />
Question: Have you talked with utility companies about the effect on<br />
the power grid?<br />
<br />
This proposed bylaw would affect less than 1% of buildings in town.<br />
Demand on the electric grid varies by around 1% per year. In new<br />
england, most of the demand on the electric grid comes during the<br />
summer months; there's much less demand in the winter. Summer peak is<br />
approximately twice the winter peak. This will affect the grid over<br />
time, as more people transition to electric heat. But we're not<br />
concerned about the effect from new construction.<br />
<br />
During the winter, less gas needed for home heating means more gas<br />
available for electric power plants.<br />
<br />
Question: What's the state's position on this?<br />
<br />
The state is starting to write a net-zero category of building stretch<br />
codes. Boston is looking at a net-zero zoning ordinance. The state<br />
has a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. We<br />
can't meet that goal if the majority of homes are still being heated<br />
with fossil fuels. Many municipalities are considering ordinances<br />
like this.<br />
<br />
Every town bylaw needs to be reviewed by the state attorney general's<br />
office, and they haven't finished reviewing Brookline's bylaw yet.<br />
We're not likely to see a decision from the AG before summertime.<br />
<br />
Dealing with climate change is more of a political problem than a<br />
technological problem. We can do more with local changes in urban<br />
areas than we can do at the state or federal level. If enough<br />
municipalities start doing things like this, the state will eventually<br />
get on board.<br />
<br />
Comment: There's a gas compressor station being constructed in<br />
Quincy. This is also an area where local governments can do more. We<br />
need to think locally and regionally.<br />
<br />
Question: Would the waiver process cover hot tub heaters, or radiant<br />
floor heating?<br />
<br />
If you can show there's no practical non-fossil fuel alternative, then<br />
you'll be able to get a waiver. Ground source heat pumps happen to<br />
work great for radiant floor heating.<br />
<br />
Question: What's the interior comfort level from an air source heat<br />
pump, as compared to hot water baseboard heating?<br />
<br />
In new construction, there are many options for ducting, and air<br />
source heat pumps are generally easier to zone. New construction<br />
tends to have a tight building envelope, so you need less heating.<br />
You need ducts in order to have air conditioning, and most new<br />
construction uses forced air for that reason. Variable speed air<br />
source heat pumps can provide very consistent temperatures.<br />
<br />
Question: What's the longevity of these systems?<br />
<br />
A typical boiler lasts for 20 years, a furnace lasts for 15 years, and<br />
an air conditioner lasts for 10. Air source heat pumps generally have<br />
a 15-year lifetime.<br />
<br />
Some ground source heat pump manufacturers have a 55-year warranty<br />
against leaks. Typical air source heat pumps have a twelve year<br />
warranty. ASHPs have been used in Asia since the 1970's.<br />
<br />
Question: Why can Europe run large hot water-based heating systems<br />
with heat pumps while we can't?<br />
<br />
Fuel is more expensive in Europe and that changes the cost equation.<br />
Plus, bringing a new product into the US can involve millions of<br />
dollars in certification costs. Between these two factors, European<br />
heating equipment manufacturers are less interested in marketing their<br />
products here.<br />
<br />
Comment: It's good to see industry moving in this direction, but we<br />
can push it even faster.<br />
<br />
Question: What about historic homes, and older housing stock?<br />
<br />
People in historic districts have installed heat pumps. Usually<br />
there's a requirement that the heat pump be placed out of view.<br />
<br />
The clean heat warrant article applies to new buildings and gut<br />
renovations. You generally don't see that happening with historic<br />
buildings.<br />
<br />
Question: What authority will make sure that builders comply with the<br />
proposed bylaw.<br />
<br />
Enforcement will be done by the building inspector.<br />
<br />
Question: What happens if the builder and building inspector disagree?<br />
<br />
The builder can file an appeal with the ZBA.<br />
<br />
Question: Have you talked with the building inspector about this<br />
proposal?<br />
<br />
Yes. The building inspectors seemed on board, and thought it was<br />
doable.<br />
<br />
Question: What are the next steps?<br />
<br />
The select board will hold a hearing on the article on March 9th, and<br />
it will go to town meeting in April. Please ask your town meeting<br />
members to vote for it.<br />
<br />
The article proponents have a website with more information:<br />
https://cleanheatforarlingtonma.org/.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Public Meetings]]</div>SteveR