Transcript:
One way to reduce the climate footprint of buildings is to switch from heating systems that burn oil or gas to ones that run on electricity.
But Steven Nadel of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy says for some old apartment buildings, that can be hard.
Nadel: “Multifamily buildings often have central systems. They may be old and inefficient, and it can be very difficult to retrofit some of these systems.”
But recent research by his group suggests that new cold-climate window-mounted heat pumps could make it easier and cheaper for buildings to go electric.
The units, which get installed in each apartment, are efficient and provide both AC and heat.
They’re easier to install than other heat pump systems. They plug into a normal outlet and are simply placed in a window, where they hang from the sill like a saddle, so they don’t block the view.
Nadel: “They are getting more common. The New York City Housing Authority has purchased significant quantities of them, installing them in some of their buildings. But there are also utilities, cities, and others that are installing them in a dozen different cities.”
So window heat pumps could help heat and cool apartment buildings – with much less climate-warming pollution.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
