HUD SECRETARY DONOVAN OPENS GREEN ROOF AT WASHINGTON DC HOUSING AUTHORITY's REGENCY HOUSE

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan yesterday joined Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and other elected officials at the "Greening of Public Housing" event at the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) property, Regency House in Northwest D.C. Secretary Donovan officially opened the building's new "green" roof on Earth Day.

The Regency House's "green" improvements include:

• a "green" roof
• a system to harvest rainwater for irrigation
• new chillers and cooling tower
• a DCHA-designed heat-recovery system that allows DCHA to recover heat from summer air-conditioning and use it to heat water
• refurbished units water-efficient toilets, showerheads and faucets
• energy-efficient lighting
• low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint, which reduces toxins emitted from paint.

Solar panels, purchased with the $27 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also were recently installed at the property and will add to the current cost savings at the Regency House.

Secretary Donovan with Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, plant new plants at the Regency House in Washington DC

"DCHA's Regency House property is an exemplary model of the 'green' retrofits that can take place with the $13.6 billion allocated under President Obama's Recovery Act," said Donovan. "HUD has already allocated nearly $3 billion in Capital Funds to public housing agencies like DCHA to promote energy efficiency and create green, clean energy jobs. Not only will these funds enable housing agencies to make large-scale improvements and undertake energy efficiency modernization projects, but the cost savings will allow public housing agencies to create jobs and save money in energy costs."

HUD has received signed contracts from every public housing agency in the country to use the Recovery Act funds to improve energy efficiency, modernize, and create new jobs. The public housing agencies recently received confirmation that they could begin spending their Recovery Act allocations, which DCHA did with its newly installed solar panels. DCHA also has additional plans to use Recovery Act funding to make further energy-efficient improvements to public housing developments in the area.

Later this month, HUD will announce the notice of availability on a further $1 billion of competitively awarded funds under the Recovery Act. These funds will be dispersed in early September and will be awarded to local housing agencies to support catalytic investments that leverage private sector financing to retrofit public housing and enhance energy efficiency conservation.

"With this infusion of Recovery Act funds, it is our hope that projects just like this one will be undertaken all across the country," said Donovan. "HUD is committed to swiftly implementing the Recovery Act in order to ensure that American families have access to modern, energy efficient homes and jobs that create a positive investment in America's future.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.