Oakland EcoBlock

Buildings consume about half the energy used in the US; globally, buildings account for 39% of greenhouse gas emissions. Getting all buildings to net zero emissions is a critical task for climate change mitigation, but new building construction creates significant new emissions—typically two to four times more than renovations—and house-by-house retrofits are too slow.

The goal of the EcoBlock research project is to explore strategies for resilience and the rapid, equitable, and affordable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through urban block-scale retrofitting. This involves identifying and managing social, legal, financial, and technological challenges. We will develop a prototype EcoBlock in order to demonstrate the technical feasibility of renovating a residential block with efficiency, electrification, and shared ownership of a community solar microgrid.

The project will:

• Conduct energy and water efficiency retrofits in existing homes and small businesses
• Leverage economies of scale of block-level retrofits
• Switch appliances and equipment to electric
• Couple energy efficiency with a renewable energy microgrid

EcoBlock aims to provide resilience through:

• Affordable energy retrofits (e.g., insulation, air sealing, efficient electric appliances)
• Water efficiency upgrades (e.g., efficient fixtures & appliances, reuse water/greywater)
• Shared electrical assets (e.g., photovoltaic array & battery storage)
• Mobility improvements (e.g., shared electric vehicle with curbside charging)

The EcoBlock team is partnering with the City of Oakland to address permitting and regulatory considerations.