Two years ago, Caroline Spears moved into her own one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco for the first time. She was drawn to the affordable rent and ample space, and she initially found it to be a great work-from-home spot. However, as winter set in, she found herself consistently cranking up the gas heater in response to the cold temperatures, resulting in high energy bills and concerns about pollution from using the gas heater. As the founder of the Climate Cabinet, a national climate organization focused on winning elections, Spears saw this challenge as an area of potential change and started to look for solutions.
Seeking a resolution, Spears hired a contractor to test the energy efficiency of her apartment. However, the test revealed that a significant renovation would be required to improve the apartment’s energy efficiency. The prospects of improving her air quality by keeping the gas heater off and purchasing a portable heat pump seemed tempting, but Spears was unable to find government assistance or rebates for renters to offset the cost of acquiring such devices.
With limited control and financial incentives for renters to make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes, Spears found herself at a loss for a practical solution. She ultimately chose to move to a more modern apartment in San Francisco. This struggle brought to light the challenges that renters face in making environmentally friendly upgrades to their homes.
While reducing carbon emissions in homes is a priority for the US government, the focus has mostly been on homeowners. This leaves the 36 percent of households that rent in the United States, over 44 million, with limited options to reduce their carbon footprint. Renters often come across roadblocks like reluctant landlords, outdated infrastructure, and high costs — all with little to no government assistance.
Related Post
Despite the promising initiatives by the government in the form of legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides rebates for efficiency and electrification to homeowners, these benefits are not readily available to renters. This lack of financial assistance can make electrification an expensive endeavor. A survey revealed that the average cost of installing an induction stove, for example, could be more than $3,000 when electrical work is factored in.
Additionally, older buildings may require costly new wiring, and rewiring an entire building can be especially complicated and expensive. There are, however, promising developments in technology aimed at making electrification more feasible for renters, such as induction stoves with built-in lithium batteries that wouldn’t require extensive electrical updates. Other initiatives, such as a competitive challenge by the New York City Housing Authority, aim to spur the development of affordable appliances that help make electrification more accessible.
In the absence of comprehensive solutions, some renters have taken matters into their own hands to decarbonize their homes. Some have resorted to innovative solutions such as using induction cooktops on top of gas stoves to minimize their exposure to gas pollutants, while others have looked for alternative living arrangements.
These daunting challenges perceived by renters highlight the need for comprehensive infrastructure and policy changes to make homeownership more inclusive, reduce carbon emissions, and protect families from environmental hazards. Reaching these targets, however, will require stronger building codes and performance standards, merged with the implementation of cost-effective and practical technological solutions.
