In This Issue:
Upcoming Webinar: Tackle Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality Together
New Multifamily Solar Development Resources
New: ENERGY STAR Water Score in Portfolio Manager
Summit Recap: Multifamily Housing Water Woes - Wacky Tales of Waste and What to Do
Tackle Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality Together: Best Practices in Multifamily Housing Upgrades Webinar
Thursday, October 19, 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM EDT
Register for the webinar
Interested in taking a proactive approach to protecting indoor air quality (IAQ) while boosting energy efficiency in your multifamily building? This webinar will walk you through the steps of getting started. You'll learn how to integrate energy management activities (including a retrofit or other building upgrade project) and IAQ protection activities using the recommendations in EPA's Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for Multifamily Building Upgrades. Use of these guidelines can lead to substantial improvements in IAQ and cost savings. To learn more about protecting IAQ in your home please visit the EPA’s Indoor Environments Division website on remodeling and energy upgrades here. By attending this webinar, participants will:
- Learn how to integrate IAQ protection activities into energy efficiency retrofit projects.
- Learn how to use EPA's Multifamily Checklist Generator Tool, a custom verification checklist spreadsheet that accompanies the Indoor Air Quality Guidelines.
- • Hear case studies on the City of Mankato Economic Development Authority and the Hempstead Housing Authority’s multifamily building retrofits to learn best practices and real world application of content found in the guidelines.
New Multifamily Solar Development Resources
In addition to committing to reduce energy use by 20 percent over 10 years, many BBC Multifamily partners choose to also integrate renewable energy such as solar PV into their broader energy strategy, finding that they can:
- Reduce operational costs and generate long-term revenue;
- Create jobs by training residents on system maintenance;
- Limit greenhouse gas emissions; and
- Provide reliable energy in the face of unpredictable weather events.
Dozens of multifamily housing providers (including many BBC partners!) have voluntarily committed to installing more than 300 MW of solar on their building portfolios in support of HUD's Renew300 initiative. HUD has developed a series of online resources to guide multifamily housing providers through all stages of the solar development process.
Organizational Solar Readiness Assessment
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Not sure where to start the solar development process? This approachable PDF tool gives property owners and managers a basic understanding of where their organization stands in the solar development lifecycle. By answering these questions up front, multifamily housing providers can lower project costs and risks and improve project timelines. |
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Solar Site Selection Guide
Avoid investing time and money pursuing solar on unsuitable buildings by using this PDF Guide to quickly score properties on twelve technical and economic screening factors related to solar development. Use the accompanying Excel Scorecard to compare up to ten sites and select the best candidates for solar. |
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Solar Request for Proposals Toolkit
Procuring on-site solar electricity is an unfamiliar and daunting process for many affordable multifamily housing providers. HUD has created a comprehensive Solar Request for Proposals Toolkit to clarify the process and provide customizable templates. The toolkit includes:
- An Introduction that explains how to use the toolkit and its components, provides an overview of the typical procurement process, and includes a glossary of common terms.
- An RFP template that was created using HUD-specific experience combined with industry best practices for solar project procurement in multifamily housing. Each section is customizable to meet the user’s needs. The template is accompanied by an Instructions document with additional tips and guidance by section.
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- A sample completed RFP for users to see how an organization could complete the template.
- Four attachments that users might include with their RFP, including a listing of sites and site electricity usage, solar PV system minimum equipment and construction requirements, contractor insurance requirements, and a cost proposal form.
New: ENERGY STAR Water Score in Portfolio Manager
EPA has launched the new 1-100 water score for multifamily properties in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The water score allows multifamily housing providers to see how their property's water consumption compares to similar properties nationwide. Join EPA for a webinar on Wednesday, October 18, at 1:00 PM ET to discuss the score development process, see a demonstration of how to generate the score in Portfolio Manager, and discuss how multifamily owners can use this new water performance metric to help identify opportunities for water savings. Visit EPA 1-100 water score for multifamily properties for details.
Multifamily Housing Water Woes: Wacky Tales of Waste and What to Do
Each day in multifamily housing, tenants consume about 121 gallons of water per housing unit, and water rates are on the rise. The good news is that with high quality equipment, active monitoring and proactive maintenance, water efficiency improvements can lead to dramatic yet consistent savings of 30 to 60 percent, according to Keith Rassin of eConserve LLC who spoke at the May 2017 Better Buildings Summit in Washington, D.C.
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At the Summit, a panel of experts presented Multifamily Housing Water Woes: Wacky Tales of Waste and What to Do. Russ Horner of Water Management Inc. warned that although water cost savings can be a huge part of paid-from-savings retrofits, multifamily building owners should not be seduced by cheap fixtures or those requiring extensive education of residents or maintenance staff. For example, chlorine and ammonia added to treat water can cause seals in aerators to degrade and flatten, which slows down water flow and frustrates people, leading them to take the aerators off. Horner reminded us that unfortunately, when water fixtures fail, they fail open (adding to consumption/costs), while electric fixtures fail closed (reducing consumption/costs).
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Tabetha McCartney of Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly (JCHE) implored attendees to know their audience and choose products accordingly. When JCHE installed new dual flush toilets with up/down-style levers, her elderly residents could not be educated to push up to use the partial flush; instead they did what they have always done and pushed down. She also stressed the importance of understanding tenant usage patterns. "Some of our elderly tenants preferred to do laundry in their bathtubs. When we replaced the tubs with walk-in showers, the bathrooms flooded!" JCHE ultimately installed a laundry sink in a common area, which helped make the room a community social space.
McCartney also called for multifamily housing providers to "Monitor, monitor, monitor." JCHE identified an irrigation leak and was able to obtain a refund from the sewer utility, because they could demonstrate that some water had gone into the ground rather than the sewer system.
Keith Rassin of eConserve LLC explained that poor quality parts and labor, combined with lack of monitoring and maintenance, can quickly erode water efficiency savings. Some of the fixtures and practices Rassin warns against:
- Those with the lowest possible flow
- The 99 cent showerhead
- Toilet retrofits versus full replacement
- New equipment that requires extensive education programs (of maintenance staff and residents) to be successful.
Instead, Rassin recommends using high quality showerheads, aerators, toilets and replacement parts. He encourages multifamily housing providers to create long-term monitoring and maintenance programs with scheduled unit-by-unit inspections and repairs as necessary. And when possible, engage in energy performance contracts with shared savings of 50/50 or even 70/30 percent – these have the benefit of no upfront costs and low financial risks.
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