Affordable housing developments throughout Boston will be given $900,000 for energy improvements, thanks to money from the federal stimulus act.
Energy retrofit funding awards will be made to qualifying nonprofit and for-profit housing developments based on a number of priorities and criteria, including:
• Developments that have a demonstrated need for energy efficiency upgrades but not currently benefiting from utility rebates.
• Developments that are owned by for-profit developers not currently receiving Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) funding, that demonstrate an ability to leverage additional resources to address energy efficiency upgrades.
• Developments owned by non-profit developers or developments owned by for-profit developers in which tenants pay their own heat and electricity.
• Developments that have restrictions requiring that the majority of the units serve households earn less than 80 percent of area median income (AMI).
• Developments that demonstrate a commitment to the use of Boston-based businesses.
The funds, which will be administered through the Renew Boston and Green Affordable Housing Program, are part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental and Energy Services’ $6.5 million award made in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
"This partnership will enable important improvements to the energy performance of low-income multi-family buildings in our city, and we’re pleased to make it available to the affordable housing community," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said. "This funding pool represents another way that we are putting Recovery dollars to work in Boston."
The new funding is designed to work in concert with $1 million in energy retrofit funds made available by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), as well as the Low-Income Multifamily Retrofit program, an initiative of Massachusetts utility companies, and the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network that provides retrofit grants for existing low-income multi-family properties.
