Retrofitting buildings is a critical climate strategy, but we cannot ignore the embodied carbon impact of these retrofits. The production, transportation, and installation of materials all come with their own carbon footprints. This report provides data to support using low-carbon and carbon-storing materials in deep energy retrofits to reduce net emissions and transform buildings into climate assets. Lower embodied carbon options exist today and can be substituted for traditional materials.

Over half of California’s 3.2 million multifamily units were constructed before energy efficiency standards, resulting in poor performance and high greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve California’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, affordable multifamily housing must improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and lower tenant utility bills while enhancing quality of life. Yet building owners face many challenges to improving the performance of their buildings. This report covers the role certain types of energy service agreements, combined with federal incentives, can play in scaling affordable multifamily retrofits.

 The Massachusetts Decarbonization Hub helps owners of affordable multifamily housing interested in reducing carbon emissions from their Massachusetts properties navigate the complicated landscape of decarbonization. Created in partnership with LISC Boston and RMI, this site provides quick access to guides, resources, and funding opportunities currently available to support these projects. The Hub outlines some key steps to decarbonization, connects owners with technical providers, directs owners to the available incentive and grant funding programs, and showcases case studies of recent deep energy retrofit projects for inspiration.

State energy offices have expertise in energy and building science that can inform the technical specifications for a project, while state housing finance agencies have deep relationships with affordable housing developers and know the process required to update affordable buildings. State energy offices and state housing finance agencies can leverage their unique expertise and collaborate to meet energy efficiency and beneficial electrification goals.

National Housing Trust is offering this toolkit as an information source for HFAs and owners and developers seeking resources through the Inflation Reduction Act. The funding opportunities, case studies and reports, resident engagement tools and other resources listed here will enable you to invest in the affordable housing facilities that you develop and manage.

This blog post explores the practical lessons from the Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) initiative, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in fair energy investments for affordable housing. Learn from a decade of experience, addressing challenges and celebrating achievements. Understand how to prioritize equity in future initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act, supporting marginalized communities and promoting energy efficiency and climate resilience.

This blog post reflects on the strides made during the first year of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including implementation milestones and new guidance for programs.

This case study provides information to states, building owners, developers, and other stakeholders who are considering combining IRA Home Efficiency Rebates Program funds and LIHTC equity.

To better understand the barriers limiting the decarbonization of affordable housing beyond what energy and cost analyses could provide, NRDC commissioned an Arup-authored study of energy retrofits of affordable multi-family housing buildings within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The study examined five real-world examples to expose obstacles, inefficiencies, and opportunities encountered during retrofit processes. Six key challenge areas emerged that must be addressed to enable decarbonization of affordable housing at scale: carbon reduction strategies, financing, implementation, policy, technical expertise, and tenant impact.

This report looks at the existing research on climate and housing in the U.S, in two key areas: how housing decarbonization and production strategies can reduce pollution to mitigate climate change, and how climate change impacts renters, homeowners, and the broader housing industry. The paper also identifies key research gaps where more evidence would help policymakers to navigate the tensions between different policy approaches.