Builder group: NY should focus energy efficiency efforts on existing homes (Your Letters) – Syracuse.com

Analysis of New York’s Housing and Energy Policy in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A recent pause in the implementation of New York State’s 2023 All-Electric Buildings Act has prompted a critical evaluation of the policy’s alignment with multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the act directly supports SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) by aiming to reduce emissions, concerns have been raised by the residential construction industry regarding its potential adverse effects on SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), specifically concerning housing affordability. This report analyzes the challenges and proposes alternative strategies to achieve a more balanced and holistic approach to sustainable development.

Balancing Climate Action (SDG 13) with Sustainable Communities (SDG 11)

The primary conflict identified is the tension between environmental mandates and the provision of affordable housing. The implementation of new energy codes and the all-electric mandate presents significant challenges to achieving integrated sustainable development.

• Increased Construction Costs: New state residential building and energy codes mandate significant changes to insulation, air sealing, and mechanical ventilation. These requirements increase material, testing, and compliance costs.
• Impact on Housing Affordability: The additional expenses strain housing affordability, potentially undermining progress towards SDG 11 by placing homeownership further out of reach for working families and contributing to inequality, a concern related to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• Focus on New Construction: The policy’s emphasis on new builds overlooks the larger issue of emissions from the state’s vast inventory of older, less efficient housing stock.

Strategic Recommendations for Advancing SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)

To achieve state climate goals more effectively and equitably, a revised strategy should focus on improving the entire housing stock, not just new construction. This approach offers a more cost-effective path to realizing the objectives of SDG 7 and SDG 13.

1. Prioritize Retrofitting Existing Homes: The greatest opportunity for meaningful emissions reduction lies in upgrading older, inefficient homes. This would produce far greater environmental benefits at a lower aggregate cost.
2. Expand Weatherization and Upgrade Programs: Increase incentives and expand programs that help homeowners and landlords weatherize, insulate, and modernize older buildings. This directly lowers energy consumption and consumer costs.
3. Strengthen Support for Renewable Energy: Continue to expand programs that support residential solar installations, contributing directly to the clean energy targets of SDG 7.

The Imperative of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

A collaborative framework is essential for navigating the complexities of balancing environmental, social, and economic objectives. The current policy pause offers an opportunity to foster these crucial partnerships.

• Collaborative Policy Development: The report calls for thoughtful collaboration between state agencies, policymakers, energy experts, and the construction industry to develop practical, real-world alternatives to rushed mandates.
• Shared Objectives: Through partnership, New York can advance its climate objectives without compromising the goal of providing safe, functional, and affordable homes.
• Sustainable Path Forward: A partnership-based approach, as envisioned in SDG 17, is the most effective path to achieving both climate resilience and inclusive, sustainable communities, preserving economic opportunities for all New Yorkers.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy: The article focuses on energy consumption in homes, discussing the shift from natural gas to all-electric buildings, improving energy efficiency, and supporting residential solar installations to lower energy use.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The central theme is the provision of “safe, functional and affordable homes.” The article highlights the tension between environmental regulations and “housing affordability,” which is a key component of sustainable communities.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The entire discussion is framed by New York’s “climate goals.” The “All-Electric Buildings Act” is a policy measure aimed at “reducing emissions” and “lowering carbon emissions” from the residential sector.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The author, representing the home builders’ association, explicitly calls for collaboration, stating the industry is “ready to work with state agencies, policymakers and energy experts” and that “thoughtful collaboration — not rushed mandates — is the path to achieving” both climate and housing goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 7.3 (under SDG 7): By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. The article directly addresses this by advocating for measures that “improve the efficiency of new home construction” and, more importantly, improve the performance of existing homes through “weatherization programs, increasing incentives for air sealing, and supporting targeted upgrades.”
• Target 11.1 (under SDG 11): By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. The article expresses significant concern that new energy codes and mandates will “increase the cost of both new home construction and existing home renovation,” thereby “straining housing affordability” and potentially “pricing homeownership even further out of reach for working families.”
• Target 13.2 (under SDG 13): Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The “All-Electric Buildings Act” and the “newly adopted New York state residential building and energy codes” are direct examples of state-level policies designed to integrate climate objectives (reducing emissions) into building regulations.
• Target 17.17 (under SDG 17): Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The article concludes with a strong appeal for this type of partnership, suggesting that “thoughtful collaboration” between the construction industry and policymakers is the best way to “advance its climate objectives without pricing homeownership even further out of reach.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 7.3 (Energy Efficiency):
  • Implied Indicators: The article implies progress can be measured by tracking changes in “insulation standards, air sealing, mechanical ventilation and overall energy-efficiency performance” in new and existing homes. The number of older homes retrofitted through “weatherization programs” and the number of “residential solar installations” are also quantifiable indicators.
• For Target 11.1 (Affordable Housing):
  • Mentioned Indicators: The “cost of new home construction and existing home renovation” is a direct financial indicator. A related socio-economic indicator is the rate of homeownership among “working families,” which the author fears will decline.
• For Target 13.2 (Climate Action):
  • Mentioned Indicators: The primary outcome indicator mentioned is the amount of “carbon emissions” reduced from the housing sector. The implementation of the “All-Electric Buildings Act” itself serves as a policy action indicator.
• For Target 17.17 (Partnerships):
  • Implied Indicators: Progress could be measured by the establishment of formal collaborative processes between the “Home Builders & Remodelers” association and “state agencies, policymakers and energy experts.” The degree to which industry feedback is incorporated into future regulations would be a qualitative indicator of a successful partnership.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: syracuse.com