Refrigerants used in building systems have historically been a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. While eliminating chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) and moving towards refrigerants such as R-410a were steps in the right direction, there is still more work to be done. As we evaluate the full global warming potential (GWP) of a building’s life cycle, it is important to consider how different types of refrigerants can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

This session will provide an overview of two groundbreaking clean energy initiatives coming out of NYSERDA: the Carbon Neutral Buildings Roadmap and the Building Electrification Roadmap. These paired documents lay out the vision, recommendations and program planning that will allow New York to (1) rapidly accelerate heat pump adoption for HVAC and hot water solutions through 2030, and (2) overcome the various technical, economic, and behavioral challenges to full decarbonization of the state’s building stock by 2050.

BREAKOUT SPONSORED BY BR+A CONSULTING ENGINEERS - Companies, campuses and cities are striving to build a carbon neutral future.  Fossil Fuel Free (Electrified) and Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings will play a key role in achieving this goal.  Many people are familiar with small ZNE buildings, but we need to rapidly scale up to Medium, Large, and XL.  The need is particularly acute, with the latest in new and existing building regulations, such as Local Law 97.  Join us as we demonstrate examples of this ZNE scale-shift, including detailed examples from 4,000 to 400,000 square feet.