Projects That Prove New Affordable Housing Can Be Energy Efficient Too

Building Affordable and Sustainable Housing: A Blueprint for Success

Building more affordable housing is one of the country’s biggest goals at the moment. It’s also one of the biggest challenges for cities and states across the country, driven by the high cost of construction, land, labor, and pushback from communities. Just getting affordable housing built is considered a huge achievement. So the idea that new affordable housing developments can also be highly energy efficient and have sustainable features may seem to some like an unreachable goal. But there are recently completed projects that are both affordable and highly green that are serving as something of a blueprint for the building industry and elected officials on how to achieve both things at once. 

The Beacon: A Model of Green Affordable Housing in Manhattan

In Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood, a 282-unit affordable residential building is currently planned that is expected to achieve one of the highest green standards that exist. The Beacon will be fully electrified, built to be flood resistant, and is being built to the Passive House standard. The building incorporates innovative heating and cooling systems that lower lifetime operating costs and carbon emissions, according to the building’s architect, Paul A. Castrucci Architects, which provided complete design services for the project. Additional features like advanced building controls, time of use rates, and resident engagement systems will help to further minimize lifetime operating costs. 

The Beacon team has a number of partners, both private and public. It is being developed by Ascendant Neighborhood Development, The Community Builders Inc., and a long list of additional partners. The project is part of HPD’s Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability Program (ELLA) program. Just last month, the 21-story project was awarded funding from a $8 million grant from New York State’s Buildings of Excellence Competition, an initiative that aims to advance zero carbon multifamily properties in New York. However, it is still in the planning process and was recently presented to the local community board as the project’s team prepares for New York City’s land use review process, known as ULURP.  

Hobson Place: Supportive Housing in Seattle

Not far from Downtown Seattle, a 177-unit affordable housing development called Hobson Place was completed in 2022. Built-in two phases, the project serves as supportive housing for disabled and formerly homeless individuals and includes a healthcare clinic on the ground floor designed to meet the specific needs of the building’s residents. Developed and owned by the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), a nonprofit working to end homelessness, the building was constructed in two phases, and the second and final phase of the project was built to the Passive House standard. The aim for the design was an all-electric building that would produce as much energy as its uses and that would reduce overall energy use by around 40 percent. 

Hobson Place Phase 2 is the first permanent supportive housing project in Washington state to achieve the Passive House designation and the first affordable multifamily project to pursue PHIUS certification in the state. The decision stemmed from additional funding and resources the project received from the State of Washington and Seattle City Light, a local utility provider, to incentivize affordable housing owners to build more sustainable buildings. Aside from an airtight building envelope and triple-glazed windows, the Passive House component of the project has all-electric heat pump water heaters and a 40-kilowatt solar array. 

Hillcrest Village: Net-Zero Energy Usage in Minnesota

Another example is an affordable housing community recently built in Northfield, Minnesota, about 45 miles south of Minneapolis. Hillcrest Village is a 17-unit complex with an 84-kilowatt solar array and net-zero energy usage through all-electric heating and cooling systems as well as appliances. Units in the community use 62 percent less energy compared to other new, high-quality housing units, and residents pay just $20 a month for all electric and heating needs. The $5.5 million project, which has a mix of affordable, subsidized, and free emergency housing, was funded through private investments and public funds and will maintain rents that are far below the median for the area. 

It cost about 8 percent more to build the project above code for enhanced energy efficiency, but the team was able to get 5 percent of the extra cost back through a rebate from Xcel Energy. The team behind the project believes building affordable housing that is energy efficient has a wide impact on the community. “It’s an investment over time to build resilient, energy-efficient housing,” said Brian Nowak, principal at Sweetgrass Design Studio, the firm that developed the project on behalf of Community Action Center, a local nonprofit. “That should be everyone’s goal. And if we don’t, for example, it affects our school system. It affects the employers at Northfield having people that are readily available to come in and fill the jobs that are needed.”

The Benefits of Affordable and Sustainable Housing

Building affordable housing that is also environmentally friendly is not always easy to do. Green buildings typically cost more upfront to build than conventional buildings, but it is usually not by much. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, the initial cost of a green building is only 2 to 3 percent higher than traditional buildings. Designing green buildings can be more complex, as there are often multiple fronts that are being targeted for higher performance, like water conservation, energy use, and material sourcing. These kinds of buildings often have innovative technologies like solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems that need additional planning, expertise, and compatibility checks with existing systems, which can add a layer of complexity.

But when a project is able to get financed and completed—-something that usually requires numerous public and private partners—it has a lot of benefits for the development team, the residents of the properties, and even the surrounding community. By designing a property to be more energy efficient, energy costs are typically reduced, sometimes significantly, which means lower utility bills for residents. For the owner, it can mean saving on utility bills due to reduced energy and water consumption because green buildings typically require less maintenance and lowered operating costs. Research shows that green buildings have a positive impact on the health of occupants through better air quality and that green buildings—especially those with green roofs—have also been shown to reduce the urban heat island effect and even lower the temperature. 

Conclusion

The affordable housing crisis and the major movement toward tackling climate change are two of the most urgent issues facing the real estate industry. Building affordable housing is often a lengthy process with many hurdles, and once a project is completed, it is merely a fraction of the total number of units needed nationwide. As more cities and states enact emission laws and stricter regulations for buildings, the property industry is grappling with

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
• SDG 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated, and sustainable human settlement planning and management.
• SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
• SDG 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Percentage of renewable energy sources in the energy mix.
• Number of affordable housing units built.
• Energy consumption reduction in buildings.
• Percentage of buildings meeting green standards.
• Amount of funding and resources allocated to incentivize sustainable building practices.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: propmodo.com

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