On Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California, an old apartment building got a complete makeover.
This affordable home now has rooftop solar and new insulation, and runs entirely on electricity, so residents don’t use fossil fuels for heating or cooking.
Maggie Messerschmidt of consultancy Arup said such retrofits could reduce climate-warming carbon pollution.
It can also save people money on utility bills, improve indoor air quality, and reduce air leakage and drafts.
Messerschmitt: “These thermal comfort advantages, air quality advantages should be available to everyone…”
…regardless of income.
But affordable housing renovations like the one in Santa Monica remain rare.
Messerschmitt said many landlords can't afford the upfront costs, or if tenants are the ones saving on utility bills, they may see no incentive to invest.
Messerschmitt: “So that raises some questions about why decarbonization is not happening at the pace we would like.”
The renovations that do occur are often funded by grants, which can be time-consuming to apply for. Projects may require multiple sources of financing.
Therefore, she said it is important to come up with new ways to finance and incentivize affordable housing retrofits to help create healthy, efficient housing that is accessible to all.
Report source: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media
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