Philadelphia Housing Authority: Energy performance

Better Buildings Challenge Partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide source energy use intensity (EUI) and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline. Philadelphia Housing Authority's (PHA's) portfolio consists of more than 30 properties and 5 million square feet. Partner has improved energy performance by 11% from a 2015 baseline, making progress towards a goal of 20% by 2023. PHA has achieved these energy savings by entering into a comprehensive energy performance contract with Johnson Controls, which has conducted investment grade energy audits across all public housing sites owned by PHA. The addition of LED lighting retrofits, water efficient plumbing fixtures, and weatherization measures have already begun with further plans for HVAC, water heater, and BAS/SCADA upgrades at some of PHA's oldest sites, all to continue PHA's energy saving efforts. 

Looking at the percent improvement in energy performance across all properties can provide insight into how an organization is saving energy. Philadelphia Housing Authority has achieved energy performance improvement of greater than 6% at 18 of its properties. There are 5 properties that have experienced an increase in Source EUI. These properties have been targeted for future energy efficiency improvements.

Property-level energy performance metrics, including EUI and percent improvement to date, are critical to track progress over time and identify opportunities for additional energy savings. Philadelphia Housing Authority's portfolio consists of properties with a wide range of baseline EUI values, most of which are from 100 to 200 kBtu/sq. ft. The majority of properties have shown energy improvement since 2015. The properties located near or below the 0% axis may present good opportunities for further savings.