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Large commercial and residential buildings must overcome various hurdles before implementing deep retrofits or capital projects that help achieve building decarbonization.

RES SQA Participating Contractor Registrations.csv

In this section, we address technical barriers and questions often faced by building owners and retrofit project developers.

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Aura - Tab

title	Decentralized Systems and TenantEquipmentTenant Equipment

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title	Decentralized Systems and Tenant Equipment

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Access to Occupied Spaces.

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Lease Concerns.

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Regulatory Limitations - Rent Stabilized Apartments

The building owner is required to provide free heat and hot water.
No mechanism to recover investment in new systems is necessary to achieve decarbonization.
Buildings are capital constrained

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Split Incentives (tenants pays pay for energy).

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title	Infrastructure

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title	Infrastructure

expand

High temperature renewable resources are limited and face hurdles:

Aura - Panel

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Aura - Panel

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title	learn more

Section

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Deep Bore Geothermal
Renewable Hydrogen
Carbon Capture and Sequestration

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Biomethane
Electric Boilers
High-temperature thermal storage

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Hight-temperature industrial heat pumps
Waste Heat Capture and Reuse
Fission

learn more

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title

Utility Capacity Limitations:

learn more

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title

	Building Electric Capacity Upgrades

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Electric riser capacity
Switchgear expansion
New service/vault expansion/point-of-entry space constraints

Capacity competition with other electrification needs:

Space Heat and Cooling

DHW

Cooking

Pumps and Motors

Electric Riser Capacity

Switchgear Expansion

New Service/Vault Expansion/Point-of-Entry Space Constraints

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Capacity competition with other electrification needs:
- Space heat and cooling
- DHW
- Cooking
- Pumps and motors

Excess Distribution Facility Charges (EDF)
Contributions in Aid of Construction (CIAC)

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title	Local Network Electric Capacity Upgrades

Expand

title	learn more

SystemPeak

Partial Electrification concepts achieve deep decarbonization but do

notnecessarily

not necessarily achieve peak gas demand reductions (

debateable

debatable)

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title	Gas Utility Earnings Adjustment Mechanisms (EAM) focused on

System Peak Demand Reductions

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title	learn more

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title	Total Connected Loads and Peak Demand drive need for capacity upgrades

Demand

capacityupgrades; demand

reduction strategies do not obviate capacity

limitationsunless

limitations unless the utility accepts the solution as a permanent demand/

loadreduction

load reduction strategy.

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title	learn more

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Battery Storage:
- Fire

Danger

- danger
- Space

ConstraintsElectri Distribution Limitations

- constraints
- Electricity distribution limitations
- Structural

Loads

- loads

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Building Automation/BMS/Demand Response:
- Cost
- Integration

Limitations

- limitations;

blackbox

- Blackbox software
- Microgrid

Development

- development
  1. Cost
  2. Lack of

Expertise

- 1. expertise

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On-site Generation:
- Space

Constraints

- constraints
- Gas

Use

- use;

zero

- Zero carbon fuels availability is non-existent
- Structural

Loads

- loads
- Pipe

Infrastructure

Thermal Storage

- infrastructure

learn more

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title

Thermal Storage

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Space

Constrains

constrains
Structural

Loads

loads
Technology

Limitations

limitations:
- Vacuum insulated storage tanks
- Phase change material (DHW, space heating)

hightemperature andheating expand

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title	Geothermal (ambient temperature), Deep Bore Geothermal (

high temperature) or Shared Loop District Energy Systems provide cooling

and heating with lower peak demand than standard electric equipment

title	learn more

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Building pipe riser limitations; need additional riser capacity:
- Building water loops are typically “top down” - cooling capacity

istypically

- is typically located at rooftop mechanical penthouses; cooling

towersat

- towers at roof.
  1. Some exceptions to this rule
- Space Constraints

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Drilling Difficulty:
- Outdoor

Space Constraints for Geothermal Wells

- space constraints for geothermal wells
- Difficult permitting
- Mud and cuttings disposal
  1. Contaminated soil disposal
- Overhead

Clearance Constraints

- clearance constraints for

Drilling

- drilling in

Basements

- basements/

Garages

- garages

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Shared Loop/Thermal Utility Limitations:
- Requires entity that may operate in public ROWs and

acrossproperty

- across property lines
- Utilities are limited by regulations for gas, steam or electric

deliveryvs.

- delivery versus shared loop media (ambient temperature water).
  1. Only utility entities can provide very long amortization periods
  2. Utilities are best suited to work amid crowded

undergroundmunicipal

- 1. underground municipal ROWs.

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Deep Bore Geothermal Limitations:
Requires
- - Requires test drilling and geological assessment
  - Seismic
Risk
- - risk
  - Drilling equipment is very large - more akin to oil and
gasdevelopment
- - gas development equipment
  - Subsurface land rights and DEC restrictions

attractiveeconomics learn more

Expand

title	Other Energy Efficiency/Conservation Measures with proven/

attractive economics (these measures are limited by lack of capital or knowledge)

Expand

title

Lighting with

Lighting Controls

lighting controls
High-efficiency electrically commutated motors (ECM)
Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) on pumps and motors

Retrocommissioning Tasks and Maintenance

Behavioral Modification

Retro-commissioning tasks and maintenance

learn more

Expand

title

Behavioral Modification

Staggered

Work Scheduling

work scheduling
Telework
Submetering and

Billing

billing: potentially creates split incentive

betweenlandlord

between landlord and tenant:
- Water
- Electric
  1. Onerous regulatory compliance
- Heat and Cooling
  1. Rent stabilized

builidings

- 1. buildings prohibit

biling

- 1. billing for heat

Aura - Tab

title	Facade and Windows

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title	Facade and Windows

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Work must be completed at the end of facade/window useful life; very long usefullifeuseful life

UI Step
Building Codecode

UI Step
Glazing Reduction reduction at odds with aesthetic/marketability concerns

UI Step
Difficult installing with occupied spaces

UI Step

Reduce Local Law 11 recurring cost via overcladding

Aesthetic Concernsconcerns
At odds with historic preservation
Capital intensive
Lot Line Limitationsline limitations

UI Step

Technology Limitations

Need higher R-value/inch for thinner wall assemblieassembly:
- Vacuum insulated panels
- Aerogel panels/batts
- Zero-GWP blowing agents for closed cell spray foam (nitrogen blowingagent blowing agent needs to be more widely adopted)

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title	Ventilation

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title	Ventilation

UI Steps

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Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV)

Space Constraintsconstraints
System Tietie-in point accessibility/feasibility

UI Step

Rooftop Supply Air (Reznor) Unit Alternatives

Heat Pump Alternatives pump alternatives to eliminate resistance heat
Combine with ERV

UI Step

HVAC Load Reduction (HLR) Technology

Vent or Capture Exhaust Gasescapture exhaust gases
Space Constraintsconstraints
System Tietie-in point accessibility/feasibility

UI Step
Central vs. Decentralized Ventilation Systems

UI Step

Direct Outside Air System (DOAS)

Modular Perimeter Ducted Air Heat Pumpsperimeter ducted air heat pumps:
- Competition for Leasable Spaceleasable space
- Space Constraintsconstraints

UI Step

Ventilation Points-of-Entry

Aesthetic Concernsconcerns
Lot Line Facades/Building Setbacksline facades/building setbacks
Competition with Leasable Spaceleasable space
Space Constraintsconstraints

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title	Heat Pump Limitations

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title	Heat Pump Limitations

UI Steps

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Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF)

Fire and Life Safety life safety concerns over about volume of refrigerant gas located withinoccupied within occupied spaces.

UI Step
Regulatory Risk risk from new refrigerant policies

UI Step
PTAC and VTAC

UI Step
Ducted Supply/Exhaust Air Source Heat Pumps

UI Step

Domestic Hot Water

Central DHW Systems:
- Limited domestic production
- Performance not confirmed by independent third - parties
- More demonstration projects needed
Decentralized DHW Systems

UI Step

More open-source interconnection between devices/interoperability is needed toachieve to achieve energy distribution flexibility and capacity expansion:

air Air source that has a manifold connection to interconnect with water source orrefrigerant or refrigerant gas distribution
interconnectivityInterconnectivity/simplified heat exchange between refrigerants/water/air, etc.
Other optionality options and add-ons

Box”Technology

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title	Crossover Device or “Magic Box” Technology

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title	Crossover Device or “Magic

Box” Technology

Info
multiMulti-purpose technology for heating, cooling, heat exchange and ventilation, filtration, and/or domestic hot water

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Domestic production and supply chain is limited

UI Step
Small players operating in this space

UI Step

Technology is not tested over long operational periods

Daikin, Nilan, Zehnder, Drexel und Weiss, Minotair, Build Equinox, ClivetMinotair, Build Equinox, Clivet

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title	Zero Carbon Fuels Limitations

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title	Zero Carbon Fuel Limitations

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Green Hydrogen

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Renewable Natural Gas

Zero Carbon Fuels Limitations

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title	Low-Carbon Fuels

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title	Low-Carbon Fuels

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title

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Green Hydrogen

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Renewable Natural Gas

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Biofuel

UI Step
Biomethane

Low-carbon Fuels

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title	Renewable Energy Procurement Limitations

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title	Renewable Energy Procurement Limitations

title

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Biofuel
REC Purchasing NYSERDA monopolizes REC purchasing from renewable energy projects
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Biomethane

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title	NYS-focused Carbon Offset MarketLimitations

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title	Renewable Energy Procurement Limitations

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REC Purchasing

NYSERDA monopolizes REC purchasing from renewable energy projects

Pending Carbon Trading Programs Limitations

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title	Pending Carbon Trading

ProgramsLimitations

Programs Limitations

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Deployment timeline is highly uncertain

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Price per ton of carbon is highly uncertain and will likely be volatile/low based onprevious on previous emissions trading scheme outcomes

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Key

High temperature renewable resources are limited and face hurdles:

Utility Capacity Limitations: