NEW YORK – New York will invest $70 million in the development and production of 30,000 new heat pump units for use in New York City public housing facilities (NYCHA), Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.
Investment is part of the challenge Clean Heat for Allan initiative spearheaded by NYCHA, NYPA and NYSERDA to develop a new electrification product that can better meet the heating and cooling needs of existing multi-family buildings and accelerate the transition to fossil-free heat sources.
Last week, the NYPA Board of Trustees awarded funding through two seven-year contracts to Midea America and Gradient for the development and delivery of cold weather packaged window heat pump units.
“New York is addressing the climate crisis and the need for affordable housing, and today we are taking further action through a $70 million transformational investment,” said Governor Hochul. “Prioritizing green investments in public housing ensures that the State’s bold climate agenda is equitable, benefiting all New Yorkers now and for decades to come. All NYCHA residents deserve high-quality housing, and New York will continue to take strong action.” to help ensure residents have the safe, livable, affordable, quality housing they deserve.”
Heat pump technology provides efficient cooling and heating from a single unit by moving heat between indoor and outdoor spaces depending on the season. The process is achieved through the refrigeration cycle, which can be up to four times more efficient than traditional heating systems, such as boilers, which rely on the on-site combustion of fossil fuels to produce heat. Heat pumps are difficult to install, particularly in occupied units. As a result, many operators prefer to delay electrical conversion in favor of in-kind replacement of fossil fuel systems.
Over the next year, NYPA will coordinate with Midea America and Gradient to develop the proposed heat pump technology for testing and demonstration. NYPA will then collaborate with NYCHA to install 60 of the developed units in designated public housing to be comprehensively monitored and tested over the course of one winter season before continuing with the widespread installation of 30,000 units over subsequent years.
The heat pump units developed to meet the challenge Clean Heat for All will enable rapid, low-cost electrification of space heating in multi-family buildings by reducing or eliminating many of the cost drivers inherent in installing existing heat pump technologies in resident-occupied apartments, including electricity. system upgrades, long refrigerant lines, and through-wall drilling and penetrations.
Clean Heart Challenge for All
The Clean Heat for All Challenge directly supports the goals of the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Law) and the New York City Climate Mobilization Law, which call for a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 2030. Leveraging NYCHA’s portfolio of 2,198 residential buildings, Clean Heat for All is designed to spur innovation and growth of this product in the United States by positioning NYCHA as an early adopter of this technology, while also providing NYCHA residents with a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system that they can directly control.
NYCHA estimates the need for approximately 156,000 cold weather window heat pumps over the next 5 to 10 years to electrify its portfolio to achieve 80 percent greenhouse gas reductions by 2050 under the City’s Local Law 97 from New York. Beyond NYCHA, such a unit would be applicable to other large portfolio managers, including other public operators of affordable housing and universities.
Other NYCHA Clean Energy Initiatives
Along with the Clean Heat for All Challenge, NYCHA and the Fund for Public Housing are also launching a Clean Energy Academy to position NYCHA residents to work toward building clean energy and electrification careers. The Fund for Public Housing, with a grant from NYSERDA and philanthropic support from the New York Power Authority, National Grid, NorthLight Foundation, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies, and Rise Light and Power, will train 100 public housing residents to through the Academy in its first two years, preparing graduates for careers in clean energy. Through the development of the Clean Energy Academy, NYCHA will continue to prioritize clean energy jobs for public housing residents as part of its efforts to decarbonize its buildings.
–
