(A03) Equitable Electrification: As We Move into Our Fossil-fuel-free Future, How Can We Ensure Everyone Benefits?

This session seeks to inspire and empower real estate professionals from across sectors to take steps towards equitable decarbonization through actionable recommendations based on data and experience on the ground. A diverse set of collaborators - a community organizer, a neighborhood-based developer, an MEP engineer and an architect - will discuss their motivations, roles, challenges and successes in advancing electrification through the lens of climate equity. Through sustained political advocacy, neighborhood-based development and integrated design, each speaker played a role in the realization of Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom, permanently affordable housing for 127 low-income households along with a rich array of ground floor amenities and community services. As the first new-build all-electric large multifamily building in San Francisco, the project serves as proof of concept for other project teams and policymakers. We will share results from research analyzing a cohort of all-electric highly energy efficient buildings across a variety of climate zones which found significant benefits and no added costs, helping to advance electrification. Speakers will discuss their role in this groundbreaking project as well as other initiatives to pursue equity and decarbonization.