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DAE think the push for all-electric HVAC in new office builds is getting ahead of the grid?
Last month in Tempe, our 200,000 sq ft spec office project got delayed 8 weeks because the utility couldn't guarantee the transformer capacity for the heat pumps, so what's the real-world backup plan for developers right now?
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the_betty6mo ago
Honestly, the backup plan is just building more gas stuff on the side, which kills the whole point. What nobody's talking about is the insurance angle. My buddy works in risk and says some carriers are starting to ask about grid dependence for heating in winter storm areas. If the power goes out in a freeze and your all electric building has zero backup, that's a huge liability they might not want to cover. So the real push might come from your property insurance bill, not just the utility.
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emery_craig6mo ago
Had the same transformer headache on a project in Mesa. We ended up splitting the load by adding a small gas boiler for peak winter backup, which got the utility to sign off. It's not a perfect all-electric solution, but it got the shovels in the ground.
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viola_butler5mo ago
Oh man, same thing happened to us in Denver last year. The utility basically told us we'd have to wait two years for a transformer upgrade unless we added gas backup for the cold snaps. We just threw in a tiny boiler and called it a day.
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