Upper West Side Co-op invests in expensive wiring upgrades in order to get electric heating and cooling for units.
Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY
YEAR BUILT: 1890
HOUSING TYPE:Multifamily Co-operative, 50 units
FUEL TYPE: The building uses gas for common area heating. Prior to a successful retrofit, they used to use gas for individual units as well. Now, they use heat pumps for space heating and electric resistance for hot water.
DESIRED UPGRADES: Converting individual gas boilers to electric heat pumps, which required full wiring upgrades for the building and each unit. Now that the co-op was able to electrify, they want to install solar to help offset the costs of increased electricity
What problem was the resident having?
The co-op was dealing with old and out-of-compliance fossil fuel burning boilers located in each unit that needed replacement. They weighed a few options for replacing the boilers. They could choose to install a new centralized gas boiler in the basement, which would require installing risers to each apartment and getting a very expensive and dirty temporary mobile boiler stationed outside during construction. Alternatively, they could install heat pumps in each unit, which would add a cooling function during the summer, and would result in a less intrusive construction process during installation. They also knew that electrifying would mitigate NYC Local Law 97 fines.
The co-op wanted to choose the electrification route but determined that they would need full wiring upgrades in order to accommodate heat pumps. The cost of wiring alone was roughly $600,000, about 25% of the total project cost.
Did the resident have issues that were exacerbated by the housing issues?
In this co-op, each unit had their own boiler. The gas boilers were failing constantly; at least 5 boilers failed every year and residents never knew if there would be a gas leak. They were also experiencing occasional fried electrical appliances due to outdated wiring.
Total cost of the problem: The cost of wiring alone was roughly $600,000, about 25% of the total project cost.
Were they able to fix the issue? If not, why?
After extensive assessments, research, and discussions with the co-op residents, this co-op was able to move forward and complete the upgrades. They completed writing upgrades and replaced each unit’s gas boiler with heat pumps.
The success of the project was based on several factors: they had a very supportive building superintendent; they have residents with technical skills such as engineering that dedicated extensive time to this project; they were able to hire a project manager well-versed in the technical details, their shareholders were open and trusting of the board members who spearheaded the initiative; and they had shareholders with the financial resources to invest in covering the writing upgrades that enabled the full electrification.