Better Buildings Challenge Multifamily Newsletter: March 2023

In This Issue:

Key Announcements

  • Better Buildings Challenge (BBC) or Better Climate Challenge (BCC) partners should begin preparing energy use data for the 2023 Data Drive. The deadline to submit complete energy (and water, if applicable) data is May 1, 2023. ICF Account Managers will be reaching out to each partner in March to discuss next steps. Note that this deadline does not apply to BCC partners that prepare their own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory.
     
  • A row of houses.The Better Buildings Residential Network will be hosting the first of a two-part webinar series, entitled Low-Income Residential Energy Efficiency Best Practices, on March 23, 2023, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EDT. Topics covered include best practices for program design, outreach and communications, and data collection, with the aim of helping low-income residential providers prepare for the unprecedented level of resources soon to be available through federal initiatives, such as the Inflation Reduction Act. Register for the webinar.
     
  • In case you missed the Better Buildings webinar on the ABC’s of Multifamily Electrification Strategies on February 7, 2023, the recording and slides are available, as well as a follow up Q&A with our panelists.

Opportunities for Multifamily Partners at the 2023 Better Buildings Summit

Official Summit banner, with the event dates April 11-13, 2023 and Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit on a blue overlay.

Join us between April 11 - 13, 2023, at the 2023 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit (Summit) for valuable sessions and peer exchange opportunities with multifamily building experts and stakeholders. This year’s Summit will feature Multifamily sector sessions that explore design-based solutions for decarbonization and strategies to prepare portfolios for future investments in decarbonization technology, a roundtable of financial pathways for decarbonization, and best practices for the operation and maintenance of heat pumps. Partners will have a chance to network and share best practices at the Multifamily Sector Meet-Up and an informal gathering on the evening of April 11, 2023. There will be a number of building tours on April 11, including a visit to Weinberg Commons – the first Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) certified multifamily retrofit building in the Washington, D.C. region, and one of only two masonry multifamily passive building retrofit projects in the country.

The Summit will take place at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. Participants can choose sessions from any track and indicate interest during registration. This year’s Multifamily Track includes five sessions, covering new challenges and best practices in multifamily housing:

  • Multifamily Meet-Up
    Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM EDT
    Connect with your multifamily housing peers at the annual Multifamily Meet-Up! We will give an update on the process of the Better Buildings Multifamily sector, recognize new Goal Achievers, and hear from Lauren Ross, HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Senior Advisor, Housing and Sustainability, about policies and programs impacting the affordable multifamily sector, including the new Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The second half of this session will be focused on IRA and feature a panel of experts that will explore the IRA’s implications for multifamily affordable housing organizations, as well as explore steps partners can take today to prepare for the release of funds.
    IRA Panel Speakers: Alexis Pelosi, HUD Senior Advisor for Climate (moderator); Jamal Lewis, Rewiring America; Todd Nedwick, National Housing Trust; Ravi Malhotra, ICAST

     
  • Made in the Shade: Passive Design for Multifamily Buildings
    Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
    This session highlights the benefits of low-tech strategies which rely on building architecture and design to decrease energy usage in multifamily buildings. Panelists will detail best practices for integrating exterior shade structures and discuss key elements involved in successful passive solar design.
    Speakers: Katrin Klingenberg, PHIUS; Ryan Cassidy, RiseBoro Community Partnership; Mark Ginsberg, Curtis+Ginsberg Architects

     
  • Bridging the Gap: Intermediate Steps to Electrification and Decarbonization
    Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
    The multifamily sector is on the cusp of accessing new technologies and funding streams to accelerate the pace of decarbonization. Join this session to learn about cost-efficient upgrades that multifamily housing providers can make in the short term, like envelope improvements and system adjustments, to enhance the impacts of cost-intensive upgrades in the future.
    Speakers: Jackie Montesdeoca, Elevate; Denise Everson, ThinkBox; Mark Ginsberg, Curtis+Ginsberg Architects

     
  • Multifamily Financial Roundtable: Financing Energy Efficiency and Electrification
    Thursday, April 13, 2022, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
    Explore financing solutions for lowering energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of multifamily properties. Topics will include traditional financing, green financing products, IRA funding, and the role of philanthropy in building decarbonization investments.
    Speakers: Sadie McKeown, Community Preservation and Development Corporation; Josh Earn, National Housing Trust; Joe Evans, The Kresge Foundation

     
  • Multifamily Heat Pump Operations and Maintenance 101
    Thursday, April 13, 2022, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM EDT
    Multifamily organizations that upgrade their air conditioning and water heating systems to heat pumps must be able to train staff to operate and maintain the technology to ensure the systems maximize efficiency and comfort. This session highlights operations and maintenance approaches that reduce energy consumption and operating costs to extend the life of the equipment and building.
    Speakers: Dom Lempereur, BlocPower; Becky Schaaf, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC); Ravi Malhotra, ICAST
Register for the Summit.

Spotlight on Partner Successes

North Commons at Village Hill offers 53 mixed-income units in Northampton, Massachusetts.

  • BBC partner The Community Builders recently completed the North Commons at Village Hill in Northampton, MA, which was built to the Passive House Standard. Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) has released a series of videos featuring interviews with residents of the property sharing their experiences and impact of living in high-performing affordable housing.
     
  • SAHF, a BCC Ally, has also released a Multifamily Portfolio Carbon Emissions Calculator, which allows portfolio owners to calculate their annual greenhouse gas emissions based on their energy usage data. Review more information on the Calculator, including a video tutorial explaining how to use the Calculator.
     
  • BBC and BCC partner Mercy Housing cut the ribbon on the 1064 Mission Street project, now the largest supportive housing development in San Francisco. The 256-unit building featured modular construction techniques and met GreenPoint Rated standards. Watch a recording of the grand opening event, with the video beginning at the 6-minute mark.

ZERØING IN

Zero energy buildings — highly energy efficient buildings where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy—are becoming more prevalent. The ZERØING IN series will highlight technologies, strategies, and actions that contribute to the success of zero energy, or zero energy ready, projects.

Reducing the future carbon footprint of new construction buildings is not just about selecting the right specifications for the building’s envelope, insulation, and equipment. Something as fundamental as the building’s location, orientation, and massing can have significant impact on the building’s heating and cooling loads, and well-planned buildings will use the urban infrastructure and natural elements to their advantage. These early-phase design decisions can help decrease tenants’ plug load and reliance on personal vehicles, maximize on-site renewable generation potential, and help right-size HVAC systems.

Aeon’s The Landing Apartments is home to 54 senior household in Chaska, MN.

Aeon’s The Landing Apartments in Chaska, MN, employs Passive Design principles to reduce its baseline energy use and associated carbon emissions. The building massing was spread along the east-west axis to increase beneficial solar radiation and facilitate shading strategies, and the building was designed to maximize the volume-to-surface-area ratio for more efficient conditioning. Home to 54 senior households and adjacent to the City’s historical downtown, the building’s location provides its residents with easy, walkable access to the community’s amenities. Attend our Better Buildings Summit session, Made in the Shade: Passive Design for Multifamily Buildings, to learn more about using architecture and design to decrease energy usage in multifamily buildings.

         
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