Boston Housing Authority

Boston Housing Authority (BHA) provides affordable housing to more than 58,000 residents in and around the City of Boston. Residents receive assistance through a combination of public housing and federal and state voucher subsidy programs that provide a variety of housing options. As the largest public housing authority in New England, the BHA houses close to 9 percent of the city's residents. BHA’s mission is to provide stable, quality affordable housing for low and moderate-income persons; to deliver these services with integrity and mutual accountability; and to create living environments which serve as catalysts for the transformation from dependency to economic self-sufficiency.

Over the past decade, BHA has emerged as a national leader for its emphasis on green and healthy housing initiatives. In joining the Better Buildings Challenge, BHA furthers its commitment to a portfolio-wide reduction in energy and water usage for its multifamily properties. BHA will work to improve its building portfolio performance through property redevelopment, green operations and maintenance practices, and HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversions. All of BHA’s latest redevelopment initiatives have garnered a minimum of LEED Gold certification with several attaining LEED Platinum status. BHA maintenance staff utilizes green products and supplies, including ENERGY STAR® appliances, for its daily operation. BHA is undertaking RAD conversions for a number of its properties to address a backlog of deferred maintenance. In total, a wide variety of energy saving and water saving measures are currently under consideration include solar PV + storage, advanced ventilation strategies including Energy Recovery Systems, Inverter Type Co-generation Machines, and wireless building Energy Management Systems.

PORTFOLIO-WIDE LEADERSHIP GOALS

20% reduction in energy intensity

Showcase Project

Boston Housing Authority: St. Botolph Apartments

Performance Data

Solutions

Leadership Commitments

Better Buildings Challenge

Goal

Commitment

Progress

DOE Program Participation