Multifamily

MHA successfully navigated HUD’s rules to secure more than $8 million for the rehabilitation of Apartment Towers.

National Church Residences standardized procedures and eligibility criteria for a portfolio wide lighting retrofit.

Using tools and resources from peers and partners, Jonathan Rose Companies is conducting detailed property resilience assessments and incorporating recommended measures into its retrofit and capital improvements strategy.

In an effort to conserve water and reduce costs for both the company and the residents, Foundation Communities invested in a 3-year AmeriCorps VISTA project through NeighborWorks America to develop a water consumption monitoring system and resident education program.

A lack of finances prevented retrofits on a portfolio-wide scale as well as the capacity needed to work with all partners involved. CHA applied for HUD’s Energy Performance Contracting program, which allows PHAs to partner with an ESCO to perform energy- and water-saving upgrades. The upgrades resulted in over $480,000 in cost savings to residents.

Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation worked with residents to achieve energy savings by implementing physical building upgrades as well as resident education to establish a baseline for utility allowance and transition utility bills to residents.

In this session, multifamily partners presented innovative, outside-the-box strategies for collecting tenant energy consumption data, ranging from how to obtain tenant consent for sharing data to embarking on a portfolio-wide campaign to collect 100% whole property data.

This article first appeared in the September 2021 issue of the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits; it highlights the benefits to multifamily organizations that join the Better Buildings Challenge and spotlights specific multifamily sector partners. 

The Philadelphia Housing Authority's new headquarters is designed for high performance and to achieve 30% energy savings and LEED-NC certification.

Mercy Housing reduced energy use by more than 20% at its 50-unit affordable housing property 205 Jones Street by implementing several energy-efficiency measures including switching to electric heat pumps, installing LED lighting, improving insulation, and upgrading to ENERGY STAR® appliances.

Boston Housing Authority used finance upgrades under a Rental Assistance Demonstration conversion to achieve a 30% energy savings at the St. Botolph Apartments.

Cambridge Housing Authority achieved 60% energy savings at the Frank J. Manning Apartments, a public housing high-rise, by upgrading the building envelope and windows and installing LED lighting, a CHP cogeneration system, and a condensing gas plant and chiller.

Eden Housing constructed the 44-unit low-rise Camphora Apartments in 2016, achieving net-zero electricity and LEED-H Platinum certified affordable housing status for performing 80% more efficiently than the state energy code.

Community Roots Housing's Brewster Apartments, in Seattle, is a 1916-era multifamily building that improved energy performance by 26% with building envelope upgrades and air source heat pumps.

Trinity Housing developed a long-range plan to reduce their overall energy and water consumption through a variety of funding sources, resulting in 20% energy savings and 18% water savings.

BRIDGE Housing upgraded common areas to more energy-efficient spaces with retrofits to lighting, plug loads, and more. These cost-saving measures replaced outdated, inefficient equipment and reduced electricity consumption.

This webinar highlighted how to seek out technical experts and financing options for saving energy and water while protecting your interests.

At the 2020 Better Buildings & Better Plants Summit, Better Buildings Challenge Multifamily partners and other stakeholders shared best practices and discussed strategies for multifamily housing providers to save energy and water and preserve affordable housing.

Energy and water efficiency upgrades in affordable multifamily housing can reduce owners' operating costs and tenants' utility bills while improving resident health and comfort. This highly interactive 2020 Better Buildings & Better Plants Summit session examined current opportunities and challenges around financing efficiency upgrades in affordable multifamily housing.

This webinar demonstrated the use of a planning tool developed by Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) that helps you create a strategy for reaching energy or water reduction targets for your portfolio, sort through different conservations options, and make informed choices that demonstrate to decision-makers a concrete path to success.

Interested in taking a proactive approach to protecting indoor air quality (IAQ) while boosting energy efficiency in your multifamily building? This webinar will take you through the steps of getting started.

This 2020 Better Buildings & Better Plants Summit session spotlighted different pathways to maximize energy performance in new construction while overcoming typical challenges that affordable housing developers face.

This webinar provided participants with real-world resiliency planning frameworks that can serve as models for property owners and managers. Panelists discussed how to make the business case, assess risks by region, and prioritize projects.