Sunday, May 21, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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Last year, the United States reached an important milestone, as electric heating became the most-used source of home heating in the country. Just 30 years ago, only 25% of homes used electric heating. This is happening because of the explosion in popularity of clean energy building appliances called heat pumps, which run on electricity and provide both highly efficient space heating and cooling. The U.S. now ranks second in the world in growth of heat pump sales, trailing only Europe.
This tectonic shift in the energy systems we choose to power the spaces where we live, work and play is taking root and is ready to flourish in Southern Nevada, too. Our region is primed for clean energy and building electrification that will use the latest in advanced clean energy technologies. Architects, designers, engineers, developers and professional experts are excited about the possibilities that clean energy and building electrification offer to our communities, because they create spaces that offer the best quality of life. In addition to creating indoor air quality that’s safer and healthier, all-electric buildings help lower energy use, save money on utility bills, and achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Southern Nevada’s architects and developers are helping lead this transition in buildings you’ll see throughout our region. Our professional and technical expertise help show our elected officials that clean energy, solar panels and heat pumps aren’t just snazzy design concepts or a passing fad.
For example, TSK Architects is incorporating large-scale solar and storage in its public facilities projects, while improving the buildings’ energy performance and ensuring the air the public breathes indoors is clean and healthy. Development firm MultiGreen Properties is focused on building attainable, sustainable and tech-enabled housing. KME Architects, a minority-owned firm, is designing projects that use heat pumps, insulation that improves energy efficiency, and solar energy systems with on-site storage, and smart thermostats. And Ovation Development has integrated both solar and heat pumps in its “Home Means Nevada” projects, which retrofit affordable housing with energy-saving technologies.
Heat pumps’ efficiency is mind-boggling — they transform 1 kilowatt hour of electricity into up to 4 kilowatt hours of heating or cooling — which leads to steep drops in energy use. Heat pumps’ extremely high efficiency also helps keep power bills lower year-round.
Recent studies have shown that all-electric homes in Las Vegas are $1,347 cheaper to build and result in $279 in annual savings in utility bills for homeowners, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 46% over a 15-year period. New federal incentives are beginning to roll out in 2023 and will be a huge help for low- to moderate-income residents to electrify, but more state-level programs will be needed to remove cost barriers and ease the retrofit process for homeowners, property owners and tenants.
With the hottest months of summer on the horizon, we must start preparing now. Climate change is causing more extreme heat waves to occur in the summer, and low-efficiency air conditioning units are a threat to overload power grids. Modern highly efficient electric heat pumps are 60% more efficient than traditional window air conditioning units in the summer, making them an ideal solution for adding cooling to 100% of homes in Nevada. Moving from an old, inefficient air conditioner to a high-efficiency heat pump can reduce energy use by up to 50% — lowering energy bills for households while reducing strain on our electricity grid.
As the latest report from the United Nations’ top climate scientists showed, we need to move away from fossil fuels and onto clean energy much faster. Its statement that we’re walking when we should be sprinting is a call that all of us in Nevada can heed, and architects and developers can help lead.
Major appliance manufacturers, the building industry and policymakers in our state need certainty that transitioning buildings to clean energy is both feasible and widely beneficial. With expertise and many decades of experience, Southern Nevada’s architects and developers are trusted voices to deliver the facts and inform the decisions that will help make all of our buildings all-electric.
Carlos Fernandez is executive director of the American Institute of Architects, Las Vegas/Nevada chapters.
