Electrifying your NYC condo or co-op building? Make sure to get your residents and staff on board
- Panelists at New York Build’s conference Thursday tackled decarbonization strategies
- Staff need to know how to fix new heating and cooling systems, such as heat pumps
- If you want to swap from gas cooking to electric, make sure to discuss it with residents
Panelists at New York Build’s conference this week discussed strategies for decarbonizing multifamily buildings.
Celia Young/Brick Underground
Electrifying your New York City condo or co-op building—aka ditching fossil fuel-reliant heating and cooking systems—is a move many boards are considering to meet the fast-approaching requirements under Local Law 97, the city’s landmark climate law.
Moving away from fossil fuels isn’t easy; it requires a lot of funding, often supplemented by government incentives. But buildings also need to get residents and staff on board with electrification, said sustainability professionals at a Thursday panel at New York Build Expo, the trade organization’s annual construction conference.
“The tenant education piece becomes super important,” said Jeff Love, managing director at Sustainable Comfort, an energy efficiency consultancy.
Your board needs to inform the building’s shareholders, owners, and renters (if you have them) on how to use new appliances like electric stoves. Similarly, your building’s staff will need to know how to maintain new heating and cooling systems for years to come.
Read on for a few tips on the conversations you need to have with residents and staff as your building prepares to go green.
The controversial gas stove
New Yorkers love their gas stoves. Despite the evidence that these appliances release gasses (even when off) that worsen indoor air pollution and respiratory illnesses, when faced with losing a gas stove, the attitude of many New Yorkers seems to be: “Come and take it.”
Case in point: One of the audience members told the New York Build panelists “shame on all of you” for encouraging buildings to swap out gas stoves for electric. (Yes, even at an industry conference, conversations around gas stoves can get pretty hairy.)
New York state banned gas stoves in new construction buildings in 2023, but that rule doesn’t apply to existing appliances. If your condo or co-op building is looking to proactively ditch gas stoves, you should make sure residents understand the benefits: slightly lower emissions and less air pollution.
Knowing how to use electric stoves can help shareholders, owners, and renters get a little more comfortable with the idea. That could mean explaining the specialized cookware required to use induction stoves, said Emily Kurtz, chief housing director of RiseBoro Community Partnership, an NYC affordable housing landlord.
For example, RiseBoro renovated nine rent-stabilized buildings in Bushwick to bring them up to Passive House standards. RiseBoro replaced the residents’ gas stoves with induction appliances—or coil stoves in some cases—and provided all tenants with induction stoves with new cookware, Kurtz said at the Thursday panel. The building’s architect also made a video for tenants on how to use an induction stove, Kurtz added.
It’s also a good idea to inform renters about building-wide work, and take the opportunity to make any fixes to their units, Kurtz said. Rent-stabilized renters in a condo or co-op might question why the building is getting an upgrade when their apartment needs other improvements.
Preparing building staff for new systems
Your board needs to educate your staff—property managers, supers, and porters—on what’s coming to your condo or co-op building, Kurtz said on Thursday.
If your building plans to swap out its gas or oil heat for newer, electric heat pumps, you’ll likely need a construction team to do some work on the building’s mechanicals. Make sure your general contractor and building staff are equipped to answer questions from residents, Kurtz added.
You also need to inform your building staff on how to operate and repair a heat pump. They need to feel confident that they can handle any issues that come up, as well as basic maintenance, Love said.
“If you have an old boiler, and the guy who’s been working there for 25 years and knows just how to kick the boiler to get it going, that only lasts for so long,” said Adam Serbert, CEO and founder of Good Carbon Co. a solar and real estate developer.
