In Northwest DC lies an average-looking single-family home. While nearby students and passersby may notice its robust rooftop solar array, a slew of energy efficiency and building decarbonization measures are hidden inside. These measures were partly implemented through local nonprofit Electrify DC.
Electrify DC was founded by Vanessa Bertelli and Donna Sheler with the mission of enhancing collaboration between businesses, homeowners, and renters to further building decarbonization and electrification in the District. Executive Director Bertelli described how the organization’s “hyperlocal” efforts involve spreading the word about and expanding access to the many available local and federal incentives for electrification. Part of that effort involves working with early adopters, such as Charlie and Kim in Northwest DC.
Charlie and Kim live in this newly electrified home with their children and dog. Their home is the first of many demonstration sites Electrify DC hopes to stand up, with one in each of DC’s 131 neighborhoods.
“We’re super lucky to have Kim and Charlie, who say, ‘Okay, I need to do this for my children.’ Then they do it, and they like it,” Bertelli said. “They’re able to share that knowledge. And we can make sure that the rest of the neighborhood, and in this case all 1,600 students in this school [across the street], can see and understand what’s happening in this home and why and with whose money.”
Every month, Charlie and Kim open their doors to strangers and community members alike — anyone who wants to see, hear, and learn about how they, with Electrify DC’s help, upgraded to a healthier home. Charlie and Kim were given a PR pack to guide their outreach with local community groups and promote the opportunity they received. Charlie first approached Electrify DC, who then identified the potential for savings via local and federal incentives and programs. Then, Bertelli laid out how Electrify DC was able to connect Charlie and Kim with contractors able to both do the work and maximize their savings.
All those savings allowed them to finance energy efficiency upgrades and weatherization retrofits. They closed the seal of their home, taking steps such as adding additional insulation, sealing recessed light fixtures, and insulating their crawl space. They upgraded their home’s electrical capacity to support a greater number of electric appliances. Out came all their gas appliances, including their furnace and cooktop; in came an air-source heat pump and an induction stove. Most impressively, their roof boasts a whopping 16.2 kilowatts of solar generation capacity. In under two years, they have built a brand new home.
To fund these upgrades, Charlie and Kim were directed to access a multitude of incentives. Top of mind were the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits like the Extension, Increase, and Modification of Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit (25C) for the insulation and HVAC and the Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D) for the solar panels. They also applied to the DC Net-Zero Incentive Program, which supports homeowners looking to design and build out net-zero energy buildings via multiple funding pathways.
“We worked with one of [Electrify DC’s] advisers to talk through our options,” Charlie said. “Then we took that knowledge and did research with different contractors, installers, as well as electricians … it was absolutely incremental, step by step, convenient, and more affordable.”
Charlie did describe some difficulties, including the fact that most of the electricians they met with suggested doing a “heavy up,” or an electrical capacity upgrade from a 150 amp to a 400 amp circuit. Charlie and Kim were able to avoid that upgrade by exploring other options with Electrify DC’s network, but Vanessa attributed this confusion to the lack of access to training on these new electrification products and technologies population of electricians and contractors — a barrier to more widespread local retrofits and upgrades. Vanessa added that Electrify DC is working in collaboration with local government agencies and manufacturers to compile list of regional contractors.
Although Charlie and Kim’s residence is the first demonstration project to be stood up, Bertelli noted that more than 20 people are already on Electrify DC’s waitlist to be the next demonstration home. Bertelli stated that local demonstration sites are so important due to the phenomenon of social comparison — the climate actions of friends and neighbors are most likely to influence climate actions for those around them.
“We always wanted [the retrofits] to be something to share with other people,” Kim said. “We know that it’s important for us to do this for our own kids, but we want other kids and families to know that it’s not unattainable. We always wanted to be able to help share this story.”
