Watercolor-style collage of trees, a rain garden, a bird, homes, and an electric vehicle and curbside charger

What’s the Latest with the Oakland EcoBlock?

Therese Peffer

We get a lot of questions on the status of EcoBlock—here’s the latest:

What’s the Oakland EcoBlock?

The Oakland EcoBlock is an urban decarbonization and resilience pilot project to radically retrofit an underserved neighborhood in Oakland, California. Primarily funded by the California Energy Commission as one of four Advanced Energy Community implementation projects, EcoBlock tests strategies to transform an existing block of older residential and commercial units with shared energy- and water-efficient technologies. This UC Berkeley-led project aims to evaluate the integrated design and development process and accelerate the adoption of urban, block-scale retrofits at pace and at scale.

Map showing the California Energy Commission’s EPIC Grant Award Recipients located in Richmond, Oakland, Lancaster, and the San Gabriel Valley.

EcoBlock is one of four grant recipients of the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which invests in scientific and technological research to accelerate the transformation of the electricity sector to meet the state’s energy and climate goals. Credit: Page Southerland Page

From Research to Implementation

The Phase 2, design-build portion of EcoBlock officially kicked off in October 2019. We circulated an opportunity notice through various channels in Oakland, received 12 applications from interested communities, and through an extensive selection process with the City of Oakland and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), selected a pilot block in Spring 2020.

As with many things, COVID-19 threw a major wrench in our plans, delaying the start of the project. But we managed to (safely) meet with the block, conduct home energy assessments, and issue monthly newsletters with colorful infographics informing residents of different energy- and water-efficient technologies, such as microgrids, heat pumps, and induction stoves.

Community members sit in chairs at the end of a residential block, listening to researchers explain scientific concepts illustrated on large posters.

Community engagement is a key aspect of the EcoBlock project. Credit: Oakland EcoBlock

Over the next 1.5 years, the EcoBlock team worked with PG&E to design a community microgrid integrating rooftop solar, a central battery, and utility overhead distribution lines so participating residents could share power. In October 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission approved PG&E’s request to modify the Community Microgrid Enablement Tariff (CMET), which allowed PG&E to establish a tariff agreement with the EcoBlock community.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, we also found opportunities for community-building: With the help of Greywater Action, we held a laundry-to-landscape workshop on the block, where neighbors and team members installed a greywater system that reuses water from a washing machine to irrigate outdoor plants.

Two instructors in masks teaching a group of masked people sitting on benches in a backyard about the basics of greywater and laundry-to-landscape systems.

Instructors from Greywater Action walked the EcoBlock neighbors and team members through the basics of greywater. Most of the participants were the “muscle,” spending much of the four-hour workshop outside digging trenches and mulch basins around the backyard and installing the main and branch piping. A couple of people worked inside to install the valves, connection, and pipes to hook up the clothes washing machine so it could divert greywater to the plants outside. Credit: Therese Peffer

In 2022, the community, guided by Tuttle Law Group, created a non-profit association to co-own the shared electrical equipment, such as rooftop solar. We worked to obtain a shared electric vehicle (EV) and design a private curbside EV charger for the block. By 2023, we submitted several applications to PG&E (service upgrades, solar interconnection, and Wholesale Distribution Tariff) to kickstart the electrification process and implement the microgrid. Led by Sherwood Design Engineers, we also applied for and received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant to construct a stormwater bioretention facility at the end of the block to clean and slow rainwater before it enters the adjacent creek.

Schematic of a block-end stormwater treatment and parking retrofit.

The end-of-block stormwater bioretention facility will consist of a planting area (green); a new curb, gutter, and driveway (light grey); sidewalk replacement (dark grey); a painted curb (red); and potential improvements to the existing chain link fence at the end of the block (brown). Credit: Sherwood Design Engineers

By June 2023, PG&E completed the engineering portion of the community microgrid design. However, inflation and unexpected delays strained our budget, putting the construction of the microgrid on hold. We were also scheduled to start the in-home retrofits (insulation, air sealing of attic and crawl spaces, electrification of space conditioning and water heating) in Summer 2023; but due to existing electrical issues, PG&E determined a complete service upgrade was necessary for the block. This entails replacing the existing, single-phase, 4 kV overhead distribution lines with a new, three-phase, 12 kV system, which pushed our timeline by about 14 months.

In August 2023, Eco Performance Builders, the general contractor for EcoBlock, began the in-home retrofits where possible. While no electrical loads can be added nor equipment operational until the service upgrades are complete, Eco Performance Builders was able to install (but not connect) the equipment and conduct insulation and air sealing work for some of the homes. In December 2023, Sun Light & Power, the solar contractor for EcoBlock, began installing rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for all participating homes.

Two people inspecting attic ductwork.
Three people in an air-sealed crawl space, posing for a selfie.

Checking out the in-home retrofits with the EcoBlock team! Credit: Therese Peffer (left); Keith O’Hara (right)

What’s Next?

This April, PG&E’s contractor began the construction portion of the service upgrades (trenching to extend the 12 kV lines to the block). In June, they began replacing the existing utility poles and wires, and running service to each building. PG&E is slated to wrap up the service upgrades by August. Eco Performance Builders can then go in and complete the in-home retrofits by December—this includes connecting the new electrical and space conditioning equipment, insulating and electrifying all participating homes, and connecting the rooftop solar to PG&E’s system so residents can generate energy.

We’ve secured permits from the City of Oakland to construct the end-of-block stormwater bioretention facility and remove concrete to create sidewalk planting strips along the block. We expect this work to happen in mid-August and are aiming to plant trees this winter.

We’re tying up some loose ends as well: We’re looking for a donated EV or a carshare company to work with to install the EV carshare and curbside charger on the block. We’re also continuing to fundraise for the completion of the community microgrid (shared battery, battery storage shed, meters/reclosers, etc.) and full electrification (induction stoves, clothes dryers) of the block. If you have any leads, let us know!

Four and a half years later, we’ve seen team members come and go, babies being born on the block, and more EVs driving around Oakland. We’ve learned a great deal about working with an amazing community and new technologies, and look forward to sharing our lessons learned!

A group of people posing for a photo indoors.

Some of the members of the EcoBlock team. Credit: Oakland EcoBlock

Cover image credit: Haixin Guo

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