On December 12, 2015, a monumental agreement to combat climate change was reached. The Paris Agreement brought together nearly all nations in an ambitious effort to advance the creation of a low-carbon future. This historic event led to the creation of an important mission: to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 20501.
Countries around the world are making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and create a more sustainable society. Although the United States officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement in 2017, many American states, cities, and even individual companies and organizations have pledged their support to continue pursuing the goals of the Paris Agreement.
US cities and states are raising the bar
Efforts in the United States, such as the “We Are Still In” statement (representing the largest cross-section of American business to rally around climate action to date), have shown that the U.S. continues to support the Paris Agreement2.
One of the most notable moves to reduce America's carbon footprint comes from the city of Berkeley, California. In July 2019, it became the first American city to ban the use of natural gas in new low-rise buildings and apartment buildings. Menlo Park and San Luis Obispo, California, followed Berkeley's lead and banned natural gas. Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Petaluma, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Santa Rosa, Sunnyvale and 50 to 60 other cities and towns in California are considering the same ban. Outside California, Seattle, Washington and several cities in Massachusetts and Minneapolis are also considering similar bans.
New Jersey has a draft master plan to end the use of natural gas in buildings by 20303. NYC Local Law 97 (of 2019) limits carbon emissions for most buildings over 25,000 square feet and alternative compliance paths for certain building types.
The University of California Office of the President Carbon Neutrality Initiative, the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018, Massachusetts Net Zero Building regulations, local gas moratoriums, and others target net zero carbon and fossil fuel elimination away .
Professional associations are raising the bar
In a historic resolution, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) declared a climate emergency and adopted Climate Action. The AIA adopted the resolution for urgent and sustainable climate action. The historic resolution was approved by a vote of 4,860 to 312 at the 2019 AIA National Convention in Las Vegas (Fig. 2). It states: “…THEREFORE, IT IS NOW RESOLVED that, beginning in 2019 and pending zero net carbon practices accepted by its members, the AIA will prioritize and support urgent climate action as a health, safety and welfare issue in order to address the ” “To exponentially accelerate the decarbonization” of buildings, the construction sector and the built environment…”4
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) position on climate change was documented in its position document dated June 27, 2018. It states: “…The recent Paris Agreement and the adoption of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol show that there is broad international consensus on the need for action. ASHRAE's direct interest and concern in greenhouse gases (GHGs) and climate change is reflected in its activities in HVAC&R technologies and applications. HVAC&R systems contribute to greenhouse gas emissions in the form of direct refrigerant emissions (CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs) and indirect CO2 emissions associated with the energy required to operate buildings and building systems. Therefore, ASHRAE and its members play an important role in mitigating and adapting to climate change…”
Impact on device manufacturers
Manufacturers must raise the bar and stay ahead of a changing industry before electrification of the built environment arrives. To accommodate new changes in design, economics, code, standards and the pursuit of zero carbon emissions, replacements for fossil fuel-derived products are required during this transition period. Manufacturers can decide whether they want to be an advocate for change or a follower who only changes when forced to. There are at least two areas that may be of interest: (1) operational carbon and (2) embodied carbon.
Operating carbon
Electrifying the built environment requires new equipment. Continuously improving the efficiency of existing systems is a must. Replacing a natural gas hot water boiler (hot water or heating boiler) with a heat pump is an obvious alternative when natural gas is banned. Selected air-water heat pump products with carbon dioxide as a refrigerant have already made it into the top 10 of BuildingGreen 20165. The coefficient of performance (COP) of similar products can be up to four times higher than conventional gas water heaters. Air-to-water heat pump heaters with a focus on higher instantaneous capacity (requiring less hot water storage) will be important to drive this market. New equipment with standard industry ratings, including ASME, Factory Mutual or UL approval, is also important. Although not yet available in the United States, Daikin has developed a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system that can use the heat generated from cold water production to produce hot water. The system can also provide heating for underfloor heating applications.
These so-called “three-in-one” units are also available from Mammoth on the international market, namely in China and Canada. Electric heat pump equipment, including air-to-water and air-to-air heat pumps, must be tested for heating performance and rated for low outdoor air temperatures (0°F and below). Air-to-air heat pumps can be a more efficient replacement for compact terminal air conditioners (PTAC). For use in residential water heating, air-to-water heat pumps must be capable of delivering hot water at a temperature of 140°F, even when outdoor temperatures reach -10°F or below. In cold climates like Chicago, this can be challenging without additional electric heating.
Refrigerants are another area that needs to be addressed. While the most harmful refrigerants like R22 have been banned and replaced with better ones like R 410 A, several common refrigerants on the market still have high global warming potential (GWP). (Fig. 3).
Cooking is the other obvious use of gas in a building. As an alternative, induction cooking is becoming increasingly popular. While it is generally believed that induction cooking is more efficient than gas or electric cooking, a study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) suggests that this is not always the case. It can vary depending on the size of the cooking vessel compared to traditional electric cooking6. The United Nations World Health Organization notes that there is no convincing evidence that medium-frequency fields from induction cooking have a long-term effect on human health7, but has also admitted that more research needs to be done. However, a study conducted by the Swiss government concluded that depending on the cooking zone and cooking vessels used8, induction cooking may exceed the guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, which specifies a maximum magnetic flux density of 6.25 microtesla ( µT) at a distance of 30 cm.
Embodied carbon
Over the next twelve months, the focus in the HVAC industry will shift from operational carbon to embodied carbon. Several conferences and events such as Carbon Positive in Chicago, the AIA Large Firm Round Table and the follow-up event Carbon Positive in Los Angeles in 2020 will bring together participation from key industry players and focus on embodied carbon. The AIA Architecture 2030 Challenge has already adopted an embodied carbon roadmap9, and the civil engineering community has also defined its own10.
Many design firms are starting to use commercial software like Tally to estimate the carbon footprint of their buildings. A new open-source tool called Embodied Carbon Calculator for Construction that tracks carbon emissions from construction raw materials could be a useful tool for reducing the carbon footprint of construction projects.
The Embodied Carbon Calculator for Construction, or EC3 for short, was developed by the Carbon Leadership Forum in collaboration with Skanska and C-Change Labs.
It was additionally piloted by Microsoft. Although this is an advancement in the design industry, the impacts of HVAC equipment and parts, including ducts, piping, metal, etc., cannot be properly considered because they do not have embodied carbon data or Environmental Product (EPD) information Declaration) products are available.
Building a single “low-carbon” office building could save 30 million kilograms, or 33,000 tons, of CO2 emissions. Kate Simonen, founding director of the Carbon Leadership Forum and associate professor at the University of Washington, says this is “the emissions equivalent of driving a car around the world 3,000 times.”11
Many organizations have proclaimed that we are in a climate emergency: the political leaders, professional associations, the Net Zero codes, the gas ban regulations, the voices of many cities and, most recently, the cry of the younger generation demanding change12.
The world needs the entire HVAC industry to lead this transformation to reduce both operational and embodied carbon emissions. This is a crisis that the HVAC industry must commit to solving.
This story originally appeared in the January 2020 issue of SNIPS magazine.
