Multifamily Housing and the Better Buildings 2024 Progress Report

The US Dept. of Energy (DOE) recently released its 2024 Progress Report for the Better Buildings initiative—an annual publication that highlights the achievements of the initiative and its partners by sector. The Better Buildings initiative (BB) aims to improve energy efficiency and advance decarbonization across the nation’s various building sectors. BB helps organizations reduce their energy use, lower operational costs, …

Building Decarb Update: Some Highlights at the Federal Level

In June, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced its National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building. It was finalized after receiving feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders. Part 1 of the Definition (Operational Emissions from Energy Use) sets criteria for a building with zero emissions from energy used for building operations. It applies to …

Setting a Course for the Fast-Evolving Incentives Landscape

Influencing vs. Merely Accessing Available Funding Programs By Ravi Malhotra Originally published in NH&RA’s Tax Credit Advisor, May 2024   Government agencies are still racing to get their Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds out the door, and they remain open to input from various stakeholders to help guide this process. In advocating for increased investment …

How Programs Can Navigate Aggressive Change to Achieve Deep Energy Savings in Multifamily

Rapid market, regulatory, and policy evolutions are creating opportunities for utilities to coordinate with key stakeholders to identify and harness untapped methods of achieving their program goals. The U.S. is beginning to see a slow transition away from natural gas-based efficiency measures as electrification has emerged as a leading decarbonization strategy and a growing pathway for utility energy efficiency programs. …

COP28: A Debate Between Soft Commitments vs Decisive Action

By Kristen Cheriegate: Senior Policy Analyst | Ms. Cheriegate navigates  through the policy world to obtain real-world solutions, funding resources, and networks with potential partners to provide more services to low- and moderate-income households. The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Summit, the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28), took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between …

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Electrification Upgrades

A New Generation of Heat Pump Systems Increases Efficiency By Ravi Malhotra Tax Credit Advisor, July 2023 More and more states have regulations and mandates requiring multifamily affordable housing properties to decarbonize (i.e., replace the use of natural gas, oil, or propane with electricity). This can be accomplished by upgrading systems for space and water heating. Electric heat pumps are …

Multifamily housing building

Green Retrofits Signal the Future in Cities’ Push Towards Decarbonization

Green Retrofits Signal the Future in Cities’ Push Towards Decarbonization By Abram Mamet / NH&RA April 2023 Green Retrofitting in Practice  Well-considered and meaningfully executed retrofits have become increasingly important as communities across the country seek out effective climate resilience strategies. States like Massachusetts, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania are at the forefront of that movement, having each enacted legislation or …

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Pursuing Green Projects: How Multifamily Affordable Housing Can Benefit from the IRA and BIL

Pursuing Green Projects: How Multifamily Affordable Housing Can Benefit from the IRA and BIL  by Ravi Malhotra National Housing & Rehabilitation Association, February 2023 The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) dramatically expand opportunities for multifamily affordable housing to pursue green projects via cash rebates, tax credits and other incentives. The IRA is by far the largest investment in …

How Utility Programs Can Drive Electrification and Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Affordable Housing

Originally published in NH&RA’s Tax Credit Advisor Magazine, December 2022 While the federal, state and local governments are picking up the pace in their decarbonization efforts, very few of those programs, and even fewer utility rebate programs, specifically target multifamily housing. Unless the multifamily sector acts, it runs the risk of missing out on generous incentives for high efficiency heat …

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Decarbonization and Electrification

Decarbonization and Electrification By Pamela Martineau / Issue: June 2022 NATIONAL HOUSING & REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION Efforts in Affordable Housing Still in Early Stages Affordable housing communities across the nation have much to gain from decarbonization and electrification, yet unfamiliarity with new technologies, the high cost of retrofitting buildings, and complicated access to funding sources and incentives have slowed the conversion. These issues are among …