Architect Ben White offered his perspective on zero-net energy (ZNE) and decarbonization during a recent talk at the California Energy Commission.

During the July 31 talk, White, who is a Ph.D. candidate in the Transportation Technology and Policy program at the University of California, Davis, discussed how California’s energy policy is shifting from ZNE to decarbonization.

Under California’s definition of ZNE, carbon emissions can vary from “very high” to “zero,” but White said a distinction should be made between homes that are highly efficient (including ZNE designs) and homes that are responsible for low levels of emissions.

In the “very high” definition there is very little decarbonization. This happens when a home’s energy mix includes natural gas - which adds to a home’s carbon emission footprint. In some cases, a majority of a home’s carbon emissions originate from outside the house, due to methane leakage from the natural gas system.

Official measures of emissions, such as those taken by the California Air Resources Board, often do not account for emissions from leaks that occur when natural gas is imported from other states.

White noted that even highly efficient homes can still be large contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. ZNE homes that use natural gas can lock in high annual carbon emissions for decades due to methane leaks. On a statewide basis, carbon emissions rates from homes built during the current code cycle can be higher than 2 million tons per year if every new home uses natural gas as a fuel source.

There is much higher carbon emission abatement potential with all-electric homes. Statewide, electrifying homes and eliminating methane leaks associated with natural gas use can avoid as much as 90 million tons of carbon emissions over a 30-year timespan.

“Eliminating emissions as soon as possible is a win for everyone, and building electrification is a sensible approach to reducing emissions from the building sector,” White said. “Homeowners benefit from improved affordability, especially when solar generation is used. Eliminating emissions in the short term will make California’s broader climate goals much more achievable at reasonable costs than if we continue to allow high levels of emissions from the built environment.”

Existing homes will be more difficult to decarbonize, compared to new homes that are already highly efficient. White believes that changing views about natural gas use, particularly concerning cooking, will be key to decarbonizing buildings in California.

This summer, the California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded nearly $72 million to rollout more than 220 electric school buses throughout the state and provided additional dollars for workforce training and charging infrastructure to support the buses.

Through the School Bus Replacement Program, the CEC is replacing old, polluting diesel school buses with all-electric buses to reduce schoolchildren’s exposure to harmful emissions, and help the state reach its climate and air quality goals.

Replacing the buses will eliminate diesel emissions, including fine particulate matter that is particularly harmful to children’s developing lungs.

The buses will also reduce noise pollution both on and off the bus. In fact, the buses are so quiet that they play music when driving at slow speeds to alert passersby.

In addition to funding the purchase of electric buses, the CEC awarded more than $13 million for charging infrastructure for schools that were awarded electric vehicles—as well as more than $1 million to prepare drivers and technicians to work with the vehicles.

“The Energy Commission is proud to support the transition to electric school buses to protect the health of children throughout the state, something that will help all Californians breathe easier,” said Energy Commissioner Patty Monahan. “And we can’t get these buses on the road without the charging infrastructure to refuel them, and training for drivers and maintenance workers to support them.”

The CEC estimates that schools will save an average of $6,000 a year per electric bus in fuel and maintenance costs. However, electric buses still require maintenance—requiring technicians trained to work with these new and evolving technologies. Drivers, too, will need specialized training to work with zero-emission vehicles.

Funds from the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program will be used for training-related equipment, development of programmatic curriculum, and workforce training at nine community colleges around California.

Training would be available to current employees in awarded school districts, county offices of education, and joint power authorities, as well as new workers pursuing careers in clean transportation. The course is expected to train about 20 to 30 community college faculty, who will in turn train technicians and drivers.

Two California Energy Commission recipients will be featured during an Aug. 28 Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council (ETCC) webinar.

Erik Desormeaux, director of process development for San Leandro-based Porifera Inc., and Zhongli Pan, adjunct professor at the University of California, Davis, will discuss innovative projects that received Energy Commission grants.

Porifera specializes in water purification through its proprietary concentrator and recycler technologies. Its products are used for wastewater treatment, water reuse, and food processing. They increase efficiency, cut energy use, and reduce environmental impacts.

Pan will give two presentations on his work using infrared heating as an energy efficient method to dry and blanch walnuts and snacks. The system drastically reduces the amount of energy need to dry nuts and could save growers as much as 50 percent in energy costs.

The Porifera projects were funded by the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which drives clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship. Pan’s project received funds from EPIC’s predecessor the Public Interest Energy Research Program.

The projects support California’s goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy future.

The ETCC was established by the Energy Commission, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, the Southern California Gas Company, and San Diego Gas & Electric to facilitate collaboration on emerging and underutilized energy technologies. Its leadership team has grown to include the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

The California Energy Commission approved new sprinkler efficiency regulations, which will save California up to 152 billion gallons of water and nearly a billion dollars per year.

The new efficiency standards, which were adopted at the August 14 business meeting, includes new definitions, minimum efficiency performance standards, and certification requirements. The standards take effect October 1, 2020.

The efficiency standards for irrigation sprinklers would prevent excess water pressure and over-irrigation through better pressure regulation. The savings are an estimated $27 for each replaced sprinkler. Cumulatively, this could result in $955 million dollars of stock savings per year for consumers statewide.

Landscape irrigation uses over 1.1 trillion gallons of water per year and accounts for half of California’s urban water use. In a drought-prone state, reducing over-irrigation is a significant opportunity since 50 percent more water is applied than is needed.

“Water and energy are precious,” said Commissioner Andrew McAllister. “This new rule helps Californians care for both.”

Commissioner Patty Monahan said the water savings would be equivalent to the residential water use of Sacramento and Los Angeles for an entire year.

“We’re saving money for consumers,” Monahan said, “We’re helping save the environment. We’re helping cut pollution and reduce electricity use. It’s just really impressive.”

Several speakers at the meeting offered their support of the standards, including Ron Wolfarth, corporate communications manager for Rain Bird Corporation, a major manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services.

Wolfarth said the company considers the regulation as leveraging a proven technology to address the precarious water supply in California.

Edward Osann, director of the National Water Use Efficiency, Water Initiatives, Healthy People and Thriving Communities Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council, praised the measure as a remarkable achievement.

More about the regulation can be found at: https://ww2.energy.ca.gov/appliances/2019-AAER-01/.

Creating comfortable indoor conditions during summer days typically means turning on the air conditioning, which requires a lot of energy and contributes to climate change. But, air conditioning is not the only way to cool down. Ceiling fans can help too.

Modern ceiling fans have progressed significantly in recent years. They now use about as much power as an LED light bulb and have extremely quiet motors. And, some of the advanced smart fans can automatically start and adjust their speed based on the temperature in the space and the presence of occupants.

In 2016, the California Energy Commission funded a four-year $2 million demonstration project in California’s Central Valley to test the ability of ceiling fans to help cool spaces in multi-family buildings, while keeping occupants comfortable. The project was funded through the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which drives clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship.

A team from the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment (CBE), TRC Companies Inc., Big Ass Fans, and the Association for Energy Affordability installed 99 smart ceiling fans in offices, community rooms, and homes in low-income housing developments at four sites in the region. They also installed smart thermostats that automatically manage heating and cooling devices.

The fans operate as part of the larger air conditioning systems. At moderate temperatures, the fans operate alone, gradually speeding up as indoor temperatures rise. Should inside temperatures approach the upper 70s, air conditioning kicks in. At one site, air conditioning-related energy consumption was cut by 60 percent, and the monthly electric bill was reduced by $1,200.

According to the CBE, modern fans, using only one to eight watts of energy, can offset a 6 degrees Fahrenheit increase in indoor air temperature. Surveys taken during the demonstration showed that in many cases, occupants never noticed a difference in comfort levels from the fans to the air conditioning.

The demonstration project supports California’s goal to double building energy efficiency savings by 2030. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings account for almost 40 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.

Written by Paul Raftery from the Center for the Built Environment and California Energy Commission staff.

Photo courtesy of Paul Raftery of the Center for the Built Environment.