Regional Multifamily Electrification Retrofit Planning – A Case Study

To pursue a decarbonized built environment, the next few decades will need to involve the near-total electrification of residential and commercial buildings. This is a manageable challenge in new construction, but existing buildings face steeper unique barriers. Specifically, multifamily buildings can face more technically challenging water heating solutions, may require more custom electrification solutions, and have a wider area of stakeholders than most building types, specifically facing a split incentive issue between occupants and building owners. This study focuses on the premise of electrifying every multifamily building in Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) territory and quantifying the impacts on tenant utility bills and health, owner utility bills and first costs, electrical service infrastructure, and greenhouse gas emissions. The methods used for predicting the fuel type and service size of each end use in each multifamily unit and determining the impacts of electrification in the study can be replicated for other regions. The presentation will also tie in how different policies can impact the multifamily electrification landscape.