Affordable Housing Building Decarbonization Summit

OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2020

Hosted by the California Housing Partnership w/ Support from the Energy Foundation & Greenlining Institute

This summit is a forum for Nonprofit Affordable Housing Teams to discuss and recommend equitable decarbonize strategies for new and existing affordable housing properties. Amidst the perfect storm of a pandemic within a pre-existing housing emergency within a growing climate crisis, what factors should the state consider in addressing these overlapping priorities?

The summit will consist of five two-hour convenings each focused on a specific building decarbonization topic.

[March 2021 update: Review our Findings & Recommendations from this Summit.]

Summit Schedule

(View PDF of Summit Schedule)

Mon. Oct. 12 (1:00-3:00 pm): Session 1 – “Sustainability in Design and Construction”
Mon. Oct. 19 (1:00-3:00 pm): Session 2 – “Workforce and Contractors”
Mon. Oct. 26 (1:00-3:00 pm): Session 3 – “Title 24 and Local Reach Codes”
Mon. Nov. 2: No session this week
Mon. Nov. 9 (1:00-3:00 pm): Session 4 – “Financing”
Mon. Nov. 16 (1:00-3:00 pm): Session 5 – “Programs and Policy”

We encourage representation from different teams within the same organization (Project Management/ Real Estate Development, Asset Management, Sustainability, etc.) during each session. All sessions will take place on Mondays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm online via Zoom web conferencing.

Deadline to register: Monday, October 5, 2020

Why now? In just the past year, over 30 local cities and jurisdictions have passed all-electric or near all-electric reach codes for residential construction, with more cities considering similar building code updates, including large cities like Los Angeles. Major environmental and social justice groups are also pushing for an all-electric Title 24 for new construction, including multifamily residential, for the next code cycle in 2022. Meanwhile, several cities are also starting to consider strategies to decarbonize existing buildings. As these policies take shape, it is vital we ensure that the tools needed to support this major transition – such as the allocation of new or additional funding sources – are put into place for the equitable implementation of building decarbonization strategies and goals without disparate impacts.

Session Details

Session 1 – 10/12: Sustainability in Design and Construction

Session 1 will focus on the challenges of developing sustainability goals and subsequently aligning them in the design and construction process. Topics of discussion: key influencing factors in establishing sustainability goals, strategies and challenges of achieving those goals in the design process, and any significant limitations experienced in the construction phase.

Session 2 – 10/19: Workforce and Contractors

Session 2 will focus on pre-COVID, current, and general conditions of workforce availability and recruitment. Topics of discussion: staff capacity to manage all-electric building systems, including availability, recruitment, training, retention, and cost considerations; contractor and engineer availability and willingness to do work to further decarbonize new and existing buildings.

Session 3 – 10/26: Title 24 and Local Reach Codes

Session 3 will focus on state building energy code requirements, including the hypothetical passage of an all-electric building code in 2022 or soon after, as well as local jurisdiction reach codes that impact affordable multifamily. Topics of discussion: implications of the code requirements and timeline; impacts on building and management costs and rents; other impacts to the developer and owner.

Session 4 – 11/9: Financing

Session 4 will focus on the financial and economic impacts of electrification on affordable housing developments. Topics of discussion: impacts to new construction costs, rehabilitation plans, tax credit opportunities, utility allowance calculations, and other affordable housing programs; the availability and fit of private financing, public on-bill tariff programs and other models that can help finance building electrification.

Session 5 – 11/16: Programs and Policy

Session 5 will focus on the impacts of existing and proposed programs and policies intended to support the electrification of affordable housing. Topics of discussion: policies on workforce and labor wage requirements, low income energy efficiency and solar programs; other grant and state programs; identification of pitfalls and best practices.

For questions, please contact Srinidhi at (415) 433-6804 x326 or ssampath@chpc.net, or email info@chpc.net. To register please fill out our Decarb Summit Registration Form.