Better Buildings Challenge Multifamily Newsletter: May 2022

In This Issue:

• Key Announcements
• Congratulations, 2022 Better Buildings Challenge Multifamily Goal Achievers!
• Spotlight on Partner Successes

Key Announcements

• Learn key, cost-effective strategies for reducing energy consumption and achieving a Zero Energy design in multifamily projects from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE’s) new Zero Energy Design Guide for Multifamily. After years in development, the guide is now available for free download through ASHRAE’s website.
   
• HUD has determined that Washington D.C.’s Solar for All community net metering (CNM) credits should be excluded from utility allowance calculations and household income for residents of HUD-assisted multifamily housing, allowing those residents to realize an economic benefit from participating in the program. Read more in this April 20th White House fact sheet covering cost-saving clean energy opportunities and new initiatives to remove barriers to reducing greenhouse emissions.
   
• Read about how utilities can finance energy-efficiency improvements in buildings through the Energy Efficiency as a Service (EEaaS) model in the Utilities and EEaaS: The Potential for Win-Win Partnerships report, published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). According to the report, there are a number of approaches utilities can take to expand energy efficiency program offerings to their customers, including administering an EEaaS program directly or partnering with existing EEaaS vendors.

2022 Better Buildings Challenge Multifamily Goal Achievers

Congratulations to Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA), District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), and Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) on achieving their 20 percent portfolio-wide energy savings goal within the Better Buildings Challenge! These three multifamily partners maintain a combined affordable housing portfolio of over 100 properties totalling 9.8 million square feet. Organizations that join the Multifamily Better Buildings Challenge supported by HUD and the Department of Energy (DOE) all sign on to an ambitious goal: achieving 20 percent energy savings across their multifamily housing portfolio within ten years.

MPHA achieved a 20 percent reduction in energy use intensity (EUI) across its 3.4 million square foot portfolio, two years ahead of its goal. MPHA committed over 4,500 multifamily housing units to the Challenge, and has achieved energy savings from an extensive Energy Performance Contract that included:

• LED lighting upgrades
• ENERGY STAR appliance replacements
• Insulation during re-roofing
• A robust preventative maintenance program for HVAC equipment

The partner has also employed resident engagement strategies to encourage residents to maintain the effectiveness of utility upgrade measures.

DCHA, in Washington, DC achieved a 21 percent reduction in EUI across its 5.9 million square foot portfolio. DCHA owns and operates more than 8,300 units of affordable housing, in addition to having responsibility and financial interest in 23 mixed-income properties.

DCHA achieved its energy goals in large part through a two-phase Energy Capital Improvement Program that focused on:

• Lighting replacements
• Water efficiency measures
• Building automation systems
• Significant HVAC upgrades

The partner has also leveraged DC’s Solar for All program to install a number of solar photovoltaic systems across its portfolio to maximize energy savings and reduce its carbon footprint.

JPNDC, based in Boston, Massachusetts, achieved a 22 percent reduction in energy intensity across its 365,000 square foot multifamily portfolio. JPNDC’s team has worked with their real estate and property management firm, Peabody Properties, to implement a variety of measures throughout their portfolio, including:

• LED upgrades
• High-efficiency boilers
• Outdoor reset controls
• Solar hot water

They secured $1.3 million in grants primarily through the Massachusetts-based Low Income Energy Affordability Network for electrical retrofits and boiler upgrades. JPNDC and Peabody also participated in the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s Massachusetts Green Retrofit Initiative.

Spotlight on Partner Successes

• Bridge Housing has installed 8.04 MW of community solar energy across 40 affordable housing communities, with approximately 70 percent of the energy provided to low-income residents for free. Supported by California’s Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program, solar PV systems have saved Bridge Housing residents nearly $1.3 million in electricity costs and are expected to save $34 million over the 20 year contract period.
   
• Trinity Management has completed construction of 425 Grand Concourse, one of the largest Passive House projects in the U.S. The 26-story high rise in the Bronx, New York, will consume up to 70 percent less energy than a conventional housing project and will provide 277 units of affordable housing. The structure incorporates a high-performance envelope, and will feature high-efficiency building systems, including energy-recovering ventilation and heat-recovery heating and cooling, high-performance lighting and mechanicals, and energy efficient facilities.