Energy Efficiency is Green in More Ways Than One

Julia Hustwit engages participants during the session.

Right to Left: Larry Katz, Efficiency Advisor, Daphany Sanchez, Larry Katz & Daphany Rose Sanchez, NYC Retrofit Accelerator Efficiency Advisors, Julia Hustwit, HUD, Multifamily Sector Lead and James W. Shelton, Multifamily Program Analyst.

The goal of the Better Buildings Challenge (https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/challenge) is to improve the efficiency of American commercial, institutional, multifamily buildings, and industrial plants by 20 percent or more over ten years. Hundreds of leading organizations, manufacturers, and businesses are voluntarily participating in the Better Buildings Challenge to save energy costs. These participants agree to:

• Conduct an energy efficiency assessment of their building portfolio and commit to an organization-wide energy savings goal.
• Act by showcasing an energy efficiency project and implementing a plan to achieve lasting energy savings.
• Report results by sharing cost-effective approaches for saving energy and performance data that demonstrates the success.

In addition to the federal effort at the Department of Energy, New York City's own Greater Greener Buildings Plan (http://www.nyc.gov/html/gbee/html/plan/plan.shtml) requires large multifamily buildings to benchmark their energy usage, and to complete an energy audit and retro-commissioning measures once every 10 years.

To help the owners and managers of HUD-assisted properties meet these local requirements and improve their efficiency in line with the Better Buildings Challenge, HUD's New York Office held a training and technical assistance session with the New York City Retrofit Accelerator Program (https://retrofitaccelerator.cityofnewyork.us/). This widely-attended event educated participants about financing, incentives, and technical assistance resources designed to make cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades at their properties.

The event was held on the heels of Earth Day, and comes at a time when the housing industry increasingly recognizes that going green is good for the bottom line. Projects such as boiler upgrades and optimization, rooftop solar, and water catchment can pay for themselves in 5-10 years, leaving a leaner, more profitable operation with a lower environmental impact. To learn more about HUD's efforts to green our housing stock, visit www.hud.gov/energy.

###