Major climate innovation for renters and condo owners

Hello and welcome to The Associated Press Climate Watch newsletter. I’m Ingrid Lobet , an editor on the climate and environment team. This week, I’m going to talk about something that represents a potentially major climate innovation, and one with benefits for anyone who rents or lives in a condo.

Many of us may not think about it much, but it’s no secret that most homes in the United States still are heated by burning a carbon fuel — that’s one big reason why buildings are such a powerful contributor to climate change.

Nearly half of homes burn natural gas for heating and a small share burn propane or heating oil. Each result in carbon dioxide that flows out through the chimney or from the round, steel vents with conical caps you see on roofs.

Owners of homes and commercial buildings are increasingly installing far more climate-friendly heating systems that don’t burn these fuels and that also act as air conditioners: heat pumps.

But until now, these were not an option for renters or people who live in condos — not for anyone in “multifamily” housing.

Now there’s a potential game changer. As we recently reported, two companies working with the New York City Housing Authority have plugged in some of the first window-based heat pump units in an apartment complex in Queens. There is no ductwork; each unit is self-contained and plugs into a standard 110-volt outlet. A dial on the top allows residents to control the heat.

Contrast this with the way many residents currently get their heat — from steam radiators that are turned on when the superintendent or management determines heat is needed. The radiators cannot be turned off or turned down by occupants.

In New York City alone, thousands of people have no alternative but the wasteful response of opening the window to cool down overheated units.

Consider that degree of waste for a moment. Using the New York example, natural gas is obtained from underground, for example from the Marcellus Shale, using equipment that often burns diesel fuel with its consequent emissions. The gas is compressed and runs through a large pipeline, which also entails emissions that are harmful to the climate, then to smaller diameter gas lines, to your apartment or condo building, where it is burned in a boiler in the basement to make steam, with all the carbon dioxide from that combustion coming out a chimney.

The steam is then dispatched to radiators in each apartment unit, overheating many of them to suit more sensitive residents. Other residents open their windows and let that hard-won heat escape to the sky.

The new window heat pumps run on electricity. Each year, that electricity coming from the grid is cleaner because more of it is made from wind and solar and geothermal energy. With more than 11 million apartment buildings — that’s buildings, not units — in the United States alone, heating with a fossil fuel, there is a lot of potential climate benefit in retrofitting.

• Check out all our climate coverage here?

Here’s what else you need to know

?? High school students, frustrated by lack of climate education, press for change

? From flooding in Brazil and Houston to brutal heat in Asia, extreme weather seems nearly everywhere?

?? Salad chain says a cleaner farming method will offset adding steak to its menu. What is it?

? Climate Solutions

For the first time, 30% of the total electricity generated in 2023 came from renewable sources, according to a new assessment by the think tank Ember.

Thank you for reading this newsletter. We’ll be back next week. For questions, suggestions or ideas please email [email protected]

This newsletter was written by Ingrid Lobet, an editor for climate and environment, and produced by climate engagement manager Natalia Gutiérrez . ?

?? Want more from the AP? Sign up for our other newsletters.