2022 Quick Start Grant Recipients

Climate Resolve

Scaling Heat Pump Retrofits in Housing with Cost Barriers

Research Question

  • What is the range of Greenhouse gas savings from implementing heat pump retrofits as a component of residential electrification?
  • Are these reductions large enough to support green financing for housing with cost barriers to heat pump adoption?

Value for the TECH Incentive Program

TECH will gain insights on how to design efficient incentives that leverage and complement third-party financing.

Overview

Climate Resolve and USGBC-LA will capture and analyze data from 15 pilot projects funded by TECH round 1, as well as from 30 new heat pump projects in new geographic area. Subsequent analysis will support the development of GHG calculator (including utility-level grid emission factors, GHG reductions from fuel switching, and potential GHG increases from refrigerant leaks and recharging) that can be used to support the use of green financing products by heat pump retrofit projects.

Market Barrier

There is a lack of rigorous data analysis about GHG impacts of heat pump retrofit projects, which limits access to green financing for retrofits in housing with cost barriers.

Proposed Solution

Produce a KPI assessment (energy savings, cost savings, GHG emission reduction, cost per ton of GHG emission reduction) from the installation of 30 heat pump retrofit projects replacing natural gas. Use the data assessment to develop a GHG calculator.

Theory of Change

Generating data analysis on heat pump retrofits as a component of the key performance indicators associated with building electrification will attract new sources of green financing to retrofit housing with cost barriers.

Housing Type:

Multifamily

Technology:

HVAC and HPWH

Location:

Communities that have been historically underserved by clean energy or energy efficiency programs in the San Pedro and Wilmington communities near the Port of Los Angeles.