Unlocking the Potential of Older Buildings
As buildings account for nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the urgency to decarbonize our existing building stock has never been more critical. However, retrofitting older, multifamily residential structures poses a significant challenge, often deterring building owners due to the prohibitive costs and logistical complexities involved.
Overcoming the Barriers to Multifamily Retrofits
Older multifamily buildings, ranging from four to dozens of stories, are typically plagued by poor insulation, inefficient heating and cooling systems, and uncomfortable living conditions for residents. Conventional retrofit approaches that involve interior disruption, such as installing heat pump mini-splits in each unit, can be prohibitively expensive and highly disruptive for occupants.
DD Plumbing and Heating recognizes the need for innovative, non-invasive solutions to tackle this pressing issue. One promising approach, pioneered by a New York-based startup called Hydronic Shell Technologies, involves a facade-integrated mechanical system (FIMS) that transforms the building’s exterior into an energy-efficient, HVAC-enabled shell.
Facade-Integrated Mechanical Systems (FIMS)
The FIMS concept revolves around attaching a new, highly insulated facade to the building’s exterior, effectively creating an airtight barrier and replacing old, inefficient windows. The novel aspect of this approach is that the facade panels themselves house the essential HVAC components, integrating the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems directly into the building envelope.
Central Equipment: Flexible and Efficient
At the heart of the FIMS system is the central heating and cooling equipment, which can be a heat pump, boiler, or any other technology that provides the necessary thermal energy. Unlike traditional approaches where a single, large system serves the entire building, the FIMS utilizes a more modular and zoned approach.
“We’re not talking about one giant heat pump to cover all the units,” explains David Goldstein, the engineer who developed the technology. “Instead, we’re looking at light commercial-sized equipment that can be easily transported and installed on the roof or in the building’s basement.”
This zoned approach offers several advantages:
- Reduced Complexity: Distributing the load across multiple, smaller units simplifies the installation process and eliminates the need for extensive piping or ductwork to reach every corner of the building.
- Improved Efficiency: Smaller, appropriately sized systems operate more efficiently, minimizing energy losses and ensuring optimal performance.
- Reduced Noise: The compact equipment is less intrusive and generates lower noise levels compared to a single, large central unit.
Seamless Distribution: Ducts and Pipes
The central heating and cooling equipment is connected to the individual living spaces through a network of ducts and pipes embedded within the facade panels. This integrated distribution system avoids the need for extensive interior modifications, as the entire HVAC infrastructure is contained within the building’s new exterior.
Crucially, the FIMS approach utilizes water-based distribution rather than refrigerant-based systems. This not only simplifies the installation process but also addresses potential safety and environmental concerns associated with larger refrigerant-based systems.
“Using water as the heat transfer medium is a much more effective way to move the heat around the building, especially in larger, multi-story structures,” Goldstein explains. “It eliminates the need for large quantities of refrigerant, which can pose both environmental and safety risks.”
Terminal Units: Customized Comfort
At the individual unit level, the FIMS system incorporates compact, low-profile terminal units that are seamlessly integrated into the window sills. These units, often referred to as “fan coils,” are responsible for delivering the conditioned air and maintaining the desired temperature and comfort level in each living space.
The terminal units are designed to be easily accessible and serviceable, with all the necessary components – fan, coil, and control valve – contained within a compact, unobtrusive enclosure. Residents can adjust the temperature through a wireless thermostat, allowing for individual climate control without the need for complex manual adjustments.
Importantly, the terminal units are designed to be quiet, ensuring a comfortable living environment for occupants. “Because there’s no compressor in the unit, the only moving part is the fan,” Goldstein notes. “This results in significantly reduced noise levels compared to traditional HVAC systems.”
Tackling the Logistical Challenges
One of the primary advantages of the FIMS approach is its ability to address the logistical challenges inherent in retrofitting occupied, multifamily buildings. By performing the majority of the work on the building’s exterior, the system minimizes disruption to residents, eliminating the need for interior construction and allowing occupants to continue living in their homes during the retrofit process.
“If you’re talking about a multifamily building with 100 people in it, they’re not necessarily all on board with having contractors come in and do work in their homes,” Goldstein explains. “This creates a really challenging logistical situation, which is not good for the people who live in the buildings, the contractors, or the building owners.”
The FIMS system overcomes this hurdle by focusing the installation on the building’s facade, with only the final connection to the terminal units requiring minimal intrusion into the individual living spaces.
Achieving Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings
The FIMS approach not only simplifies the retrofit process but also delivers significant energy efficiency and cost-saving benefits for building owners and residents.
Insulation and Air Sealing: The Foundation
The first step in the FIMS retrofit process is to install the highly insulated facade panels, effectively wrapping the entire building in a thermally efficient shell. This dramatic improvement in the building’s envelope, combined with the replacement of old, drafty windows, dramatically reduces the overall heating and cooling loads.
“If you’re going to jam a whole HVAC system into a little cavity in the facade of a building, you can’t do it unless the loads are very low,” Goldstein emphasizes. “The two really work together – the insulation and air sealing enables the efficient HVAC system.”
Optimizing HVAC Performance
With the building’s energy demands significantly reduced, the HVAC system can be sized and operated more efficiently, further enhancing the overall energy savings. The modular, zoned approach allows for precise temperature control and targeted delivery of heating and cooling, eliminating the need to over-condition spaces.
Additionally, the water-based distribution system is inherently more efficient than traditional refrigerant-based systems, especially in larger, multi-story buildings where lengthy refrigerant lines can lead to significant energy losses.
Maintenance and Operational Savings
Beyond the energy savings, the FIMS approach can also deliver substantial cost savings in terms of building maintenance and operations. By encapsulating the building’s original facade within the new, highly durable exterior, the need for frequent facade inspections and repairs is virtually eliminated.
“When you talk about these older masonry, multifamily buildings, they actually spend a lot of money inspecting and repairing those masonry facades,” Goldstein notes. “With our approach, the masonry is essentially indoors now. You never have to look at it again.”
The simplified HVAC system, with its accessible terminal units and reduced maintenance requirements, also contributes to lower operational costs for building owners.
Financing Opportunities and Incentives
While the upfront investment in a FIMS retrofit may seem significant, the long-term cost savings and financial benefits can make it a highly attractive proposition for building owners.
“The way we look at it, it’s not just about the installation cost, but about the work being cost-effective – looking at the operating costs after you do the installation,” Goldstein explains.
By capitalizing on available financing options and government incentives, building owners can further enhance the return on their investment.
Subsidies and Incentives
In New York, the state’s energy research and development authority, NYSERDA, provides significant support for deep energy retrofits, including funding for the FIMS pilot project in Syracuse. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act offers tax credits for energy efficiency investments in commercial building retrofits.
“Though Massachusetts has a higher electric rate and more generous incentives than most states, many States offer significant subsidies and incentives – see the DSIRE database for details,” notes David Green, a Massachusetts homeowner who successfully achieved a net-zero energy retrofit.
Financing Solutions
To address the upfront cost barrier, building owners can explore options such as zero-interest Heat Loans or low-interest Solar Loans to finance heat pumps, triple-glazed windows, and solar panel installations. Additionally, utility-sponsored custom energy efficiency programs may provide further support for multifamily retrofit projects.
“If you can finance it so that the owner doesn’t actually have to pay the money upfront, then that installation cost doesn’t become an issue,” Goldstein explains. “When the cost savings – if you have significant cost savings – you can use those cost savings to pay the loan payment.”
Unlocking the Potential of Existing Buildings
The FIMS approach, with its focus on non-invasive, energy-efficient retrofits, has the potential to transform the way we address the decarbonization challenge in the building sector. By overcoming the logistical and financial barriers that have long hindered multifamily retrofit projects, this innovative technology offers a path forward to unlock the vast potential of our existing building stock.
As Goldstein emphasizes, “If you think about building a new building, a new multifamily building, and you think about the HVAC work that happens in that building, you think about the contractor in there installing ductwork for the exhaust systems and piping, whatever kind of heating and cooling system it is, and all this work that happens in the building, which is pretty labor-intensive. And now, think instead, that the whole structure gets built, the mechanical contractor is not in there doing anything, but instead, all of the ductwork and piping is all prefabricated onto the facade panel.”
This integration of energy-efficient building systems into the facade not only simplifies construction but also opens up new opportunities for cost savings, improved indoor air quality, and the realization of net-zero energy goals. By leveraging the FIMS approach, building owners can not only reduce their carbon footprint but also generate a positive return on their investment – a true win-win scenario for both the environment and their bottom line.
As the race to decarbonize our built environment intensifies, innovative solutions like the FIMS system demonstrate the immense potential for transforming our existing building stock into energy-efficient, sustainable assets. With the support of incentives, financing, and a commitment to driving down costs, the FIMS approach could become a game-changer in the quest to create a more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible future.
