Climate change & condos

At our 12-unit condo building we're beginning to look into how new climate patterns are going to affect our building.

For example, increased flooding may be one such case.

We're at the bottom of a hill and have 4 basements. The basement that is at highest point of the slope often gets flooded the most when we have a heavy snow or rain storm.

We do have a sump pump and a French Drain built along the edge of the basement floor. It's at the bottom of the inside wall that faces the hill.

But we may need to look at other ways we can prepare against a flood.

Another challenge is posed by the new move away from fossil fuels.

Some unit owners have converted from gas powered heaters to electrical ones. One person has an electric heating and cooling system. The challenge will come if suddenly more unit owners decide to get electrical systems.

Currently, our building only has a 200 amp electric service.

We've been considering bringing this up to either a 400 or 600 amp service but have so far decided to take a wait and see position.

The reason for this is that the trustees have done two surveys with unit owners and consulted some experts and have determined that so far there has not been any safety risk signs such as brownouts, sparks at outlets, and devices or appliances being warmer than usual to the touch when plugged in.

I'm mentioning all this to see whether other condo owners have been dealing with any challenges posed by climate change.

You lost me at climate change. Flooding happens. as for basement flooding, look into waterproofing options, remember concrete is porous like a sponge.
As for moving off natural gas for heating and water, that is a personal decision not something elected board of directions should impose on others.
Look at the grid, can it really handle the power consumption in a storm and will the power be reliable and not fail in a storm?
Look to California, some areas are asking people not to charge their electric cars because the grid can't handle the load.

Consult with a civil engineer to see if you are located in a flood plane, if you need flood insurance etc. There are many reputable and new technology to
combat basement flooding and not have to depend on a stump pump running constantly.

200amps per unit is more likely the case 200amps for 12 units wouldn’t even allow half of the units to dry their clothes at the same time

I really appreciate the feedback thus far.

First, I want to ask a basic question: What kind of engineer deals with a problem such as a condo building's basement flood?

I'd like to mention that two-thirds of the electricity in Massachusetts comes from natural gas (source: ElectricRate).

Geothermal heating and cooling is an option that has been suggested by some Good Samaritans for our condo building to consider. And according to one website: "Geothermal systems provide both heating and air conditioning using renewable energy from the constant temperature below the surface." (HomeGuide)

And according to another site: "A typical 2,500 square foot home in Massachusetts with a heating oil furnace and central air conditioning will see a 47% reduction in total energy costs when switching to a geothermal heating and cooling system. Massachusetts gets cold in the winter!" (Dandelion Energy)

Since I'm at the beginning of my research, I'm still feeling my way through the process. Ideally, I'd love to see whether other condo buildings are dealing with similar issues.

AugustinD,

I wanted to answer some of the issues you raised because they were important.

1) The water is heated by gas. All the units have a water heater in the basement.

2) The smallest units (2) are 535 square feet. The largest units (2) are 925 square feet. The rest are in between with varied square feet.

3) The building was built in the 1920s.

4) The water piping is old.

5) Clarification on the electrical situation: The building has a 200 amp service. This means that the building gets a maximum of 200 amps at any given time. There are individual electrical panels for each of the 12 units. Each panel pulls in about 60 to 100 amps at any given time. When the trustees were looking into this whole issue last year, they informed us that: "It is theoretically possible for the demand from the individual units to vastly outstrip our 200 amp capacity if usage spikes across all units at the same time (e.g., 12 x 60 = 720 amps)." So far, according to a survey done in the building, electrical usage is not to the level where it's a safety issue. But this will need to be monitored yearly.

WilW1, does each unit have its very own water heater? Or does the building have exactly one water heater, serving all the units?

I think your amperage estimates represent design maximums. I think you are way off on how many amps each unit is using at any given time. One bedroom apartments average about 1.38 kilowatts at any time. So this is about 1380 watts / 120 volts = about 11 amps on average at any given time. Theoretically, and similar to what MarkR21 pointed out, if everyone is using their electric dryer (like 25 amps) or electric furnace at the same time, then yes, the amperage used in total will exceed the panel's design rating.

I think those good samaritans suggesting geothermal heating are kinda pie-in-the-sky out there, even with climate change. These are very expensive systems. I am sure your Board will learn this early on in the process. I grant that the way climate change is going, I could certainly be wrong.

I would think the electric panel has been upgraded at least once since the 1920s. I suspect another upgrade is appropriate based on age alone. I would be investigating a 400 amp panel at a minimum but of course, would talk to a reputable, licensed electrician.

I write as a retired engineer with an (inactive) PE license in my back pocket and graduate degrees. I worked around power plants for years. Whatever knowledge and back-of-the-envelope calculations I have made would benefit mightily from the experience of a well-qualified electrician.

For a 1920s era building, I would find out what kind of pipe is used for the plumbing and get a plumbing firm's estimate to re-plumb.

For the foundation and flooding, I too would be contacting a structural engineer. Or google on "foundation" "inspection" in your area.

I have done some reading on my own.

Among the articles that I've read, there's one from the Boston Globe by Sabrina Shankman, really stood out. It came out on August 21, 2021 and was entitled, "Massachusetts should be converting 100,000 homes a year to electric heat. The actual number: 461."

Here are some passages:

"Nearly one third of Massachusetts' emissions come from its more than 2 million buildings. The state says eliminating those emissions by shifting to electrical sources — and replacing fossil fuel energy generation with renewable sources, such as wind, hydro-power, and solar — is critical to achieving net zero emissions in time to do the most good. Between 2021 and 2030, the state estimates, about 1 million residential heating systems will come to the end of their service lives — each a fossil fuel system that could be replaced by one using electricity.

"Heat pumps, which use electricity to heat and cool buildings, are the best tools for electrifying homes, according to the state's Clean Energy and Climate for 2030 plan. Yet clean energy experts and advocates say there are several roadblocks to widespread adoption, including high costs, lack of confidence by consumers, and ignorance of the technology among many heating contractors.

"One of the biggest may be the state's own energy efficiency program, Mass Save. The program, which is funded by a surcharge on utility bills and run by utility companies including gas providers, offers rebates to homeowners for purchasing certain energy efficient equipment. While Mass Save purports to support the state's climate goals, advocates say it fails to support full home electrification, and in some cases, appears to even actively discourage it.

"...Unlike many other states and even countries, Massachusetts has a law on the books requiring the state to get to net-zero emissions by 2050. But setting a goal and achieving it are two different things, and failure to ramp up now could lead to a chaotic rush down the road — or make the goal impossible to reach.

"...Critics say that renewable natural gas, composed mainly of methane made from recaptured carbon or organic material like compost, likely doesn't exist at the scale needed, and studies have found that gas leaks would still contribute to climate warming. Meanwhile hydrogen currently is made from methane, and climate-friendlier versions are still in development while also being called out recently in a scientific journal as potentially as bad or worse than fossil fuels.

"...Ben Butterworth, a Melrose homeowner and the senior manager for Climate and Energy Analysis at Acadia Center, said that out the five contractors he spoke with, only one was comfortable fully converting his oil-burning heating system to heat pumps.

"...For many homeowners, the high costs of installation and operation can represent another big hurdle. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for heat pumps, so different kinds of equipment are needed depending on the specifics of an individual building. Installation costs can have a huge range. A whole-home heat pump program run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center found an average project cost of $21,479, which was higher than expected, the program's director, Meg Howard, noted in a blog."

It's going to be very interesting to see how all this will play out. Will Massachusetts consumers eventually go electric or will they play a wait-and-see game and continue using gas or oil for heat? Will condo unit owners respond like single family homes owners?