Co-Op, Condo, and Rental Upgrades Will Reduce Climate Change Causing Emissions from Buildings and Improve Energy Efficiency

April 11, 2023

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced $1.9 million for six projects selected to participate under the first round of the Low Carbon Pathways for Multifamily Buildings program for market-rate or affordable multifamily buildings. Located at co-ops, condos, and rental buildings, awarded projects will advance upgrades to the building envelope, ventilation, space heating and cooling, or domestic hot water systems to reduce climate change causing emissions and improve energy efficiency. This announcement supports the State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050 and Governor Hochul's goal to develop two million climate friendly homes by 2030.

Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, “NYSERDA is pleased to provide support for building owners to identify and cost effectively tackle lowering greenhouse emissions from buildings, which are a leading contributor to climate change and one of the hardest areas to address. Integrating improvements into the already planned lifecycle of the property can accelerate emissions reductions for these projects and can be replicated across the state to create healthier living spaces for New Yorkers.”

The $7.8 million Low Carbon Pathways for Multifamily Buildings program is an open enrollment opportunity administered by NYSERDA. The program provides financial incentives to implement one or more low-carbon building improvement packages, including:

  • Building envelope improvements to lower energy use.
  • Ventilation upgrades to improve indoor air quality.
  • Electrification of space and water heating with efficient heat pump systems to reduce energy and fossil fuel usage.
    Awarded projects include:

Finger Lakes

  • 733 Portland Avenue (733 Portland Avenue) - A 33-unit apartment building located in Rochester*.
  • School House Manor (1 North Pearl Street) - A 35-unit apartment building located in Oakfield.

New York City

  • The Bedford Place Condominium (1240 Bedford Avenue) - A 43-unit post-1980 low rise condo located in Brooklyn.
  • The International Tailoring Company Building - A 173-unit prewar high-rise co-op located in Manhattan.

Western New York

  • Morris Manor (35 East Morris Avenue) - A five building apartment complex located in Buffalo.
  • Highland Glen (7008 Erie Road) - An 11 building 121-unit apartment complex located in Derby.

 

*Located in a New York State designated disadvantaged community.

The awarded projects will integrate upgrades into existing capital improvement lifecycles, providing a model that can be replicated in multifamily buildings across New York State. Additionally, successful projects, regardless of location, will serve as case studies with a dedicated focus on how to better support disadvantaged communities to help meet the State’s Climate Act goals. NYSERDA evaluated projects on criteria such as energy savings and cost as well as ease of implementation, solution performance and maintenance needs, resident receptivity, and local law compliance. Several of the projects announced had received funding towards an energy study to help plan for these low carbon improvements through NYSERDA, prior to securing implementation funding.

Zachary Steinberg, Senior Vice President, REBNY said, “By implementing renovations to significantly reduce carbon emissions, New York multifamily building owners will achieve significant energy savings and better support the fight against climate change. The Low-Carbon Pathways Program is an important tool that helps owners begin the process to retrofit their buildings. We applaud all the owners who have submitted projects and NYSERDA for its management of this important program.”

Margy Brown, Executive Director, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) said, “Most low-income families, including those in affordable housing co-ops UHAB serves, live in old buildings with a history of deferred maintenance and high energy burdens. To mitigate disproportionate barriers to electrification, the community needs accessible funding for capital repairs and decarbonization projects. The Low Carbon Pathways program supports decarbonization methods by offering additional incentives for clean heat readiness, specifically envelope work and clean heat equipment. This makes electrification projects feasible in affordable housing by lowering project costs and incentivizing work that reduces overall energy usage and lowers utility bills.”

NYSERDA provides support for buildings through multiple steps of the project cycle. Prospective projects can first participate in the Low Carbon Capital Planning (LCCP) component of the Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) program and receive a cost share towards an energy study to help plan for low carbon capital improvements. By participating in both Low Carbon Capital Planning and Low Carbon Pathways, building owners and managers can receive start-to-finish support, from understanding their building’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions to planning and carrying out retrofit work to modernize their buildings over time. Additionally, building owners and managers interested in learning more about their building typology and potential low carbon upgrades, are encouraged to visit the Low Carbon Multifamily Retrofit Playbooks Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page..

Buildings are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. Integrating energy efficiency and electrification upgrades as part of routine investments will reduce carbon pollution and help achieve more sustainable, healthy, and comfortable buildings at lower costs. Through NYSERDA and utility programs, over $6.8 billion is being invested to upgrade and modernize buildings across the state. By reducing energy use through efficiency and weatherization and upgrading heating and hot water systems to cleaner alternatives, the State will improve tenant comfort, reduce harmful emissions and achieve the ambitious target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 TBtu by 2025, the equivalent of powering 1.8 million homes, while further reducing carbon pollution through onsite storage, renewables, and electric vehicle charging equipment.

Funding for this initiative is through the State’s 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund. More information about this funding is available on NYSERDA’s website.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State's nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues fostering a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation's most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy wide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.8 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2021 and a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York's climate action with nearly 400 registered and 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State's largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution interventions and combat climate change.

About NYSERDA

NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect the environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York State since 1975. To learn more about NYSERDA’s programs and funding opportunities, visit nyserda.ny.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.