WE ACT's Out of Gas, In with Justice pilot studied the feasibility and benefits of electrification in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) by comparing improvements to air quality and participant satisfaction between 10 apartments with induction stoves and 10 with their existing gas stoves. It is the first study of its kind to focus on the effects of residential cooking electrification with tenants in-place in an urban public housing setting with low-income residents and residents of color. This pilot offers lessons for policymakers, public housing agencies, and affordable housing providers on cooking electrification and its impact on indoor air quality, social acceptance of electrification measures, and infrastructure challenges for existing housing in environmental justice communities.

Compiling national outdoor air pollution data from across the government and other expert sources, this report shows the extent of the harm caused to people and the environment from fossil fuel burning equipment in homes and buildings, the disproportionate impact this pollution has on environmental justice communities and other vulnerable demographic groups, and how the use of methane gas in buildings is connected to the broader system of methane gas extraction and distribution.

This case study details a property manager's process to assess a building's energy use, lead an audit, and access local resources to improve energy efficiency.

This article breaks down a range of standards and considerations designed to build affordable housing more sustainably. It draws on interviews with industry partners to illustrate the progress that the sector has made as well as highlights work that still needs to be done. It also features affordable housing developers who are currently making green decisions in their projects.

This post examines the work involved to incorporate decarbonization and resilience upgrades into multifamily retrofits. Industry leaders share their perspective on the considerations the affordable housing industry must keep in mind to meet this moment.

NEEP's Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump (ccASHP) Product List is a useful starting point for those seeking information on different models of cold climate heat pumps. The list includes ASHP systems that meet the latest version of the ccASHP Specification. The voluntary specification includes requirements for both performance levels and a series of reported performance standards.

Decarbonizing residential building stock is crucial to mitigating climate change. However, local and national decarbonization policies can potentially create unintended harms for tenants, including unsustainable rent raises and unnecessary or illegal evictions. These policies must be designed and implemented carefully to protect renters, who are more likely than homeowners to be from Black, Brown, and low-income communities that already disproportionately bear the negative effects of climate change. Not doing so will exacerbate the housing crisis while driving more Americans into homelessness. This paper offers recommendations for tenant protection in building decarbonization policies.

This report examines how budget-constrained households balance spending on air conditioning versus other essentials like food and clothing during hot weather. Using banking data from Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago, it finds that low-income households often cope with high electricity bills by reducing air conditioning use and enduring more heat. The findings aim to help policymakers identify strategies to better support these households and improve their welfare amid rising temperatures.

Electrifying heating systems with air-to-air heat pumps is crucial for achieving global greenhouse gas targets. This report uses simulations of 550,000 U.S. households to evaluate the costs and benefits of various heat pump performance levels and insulation upgrades. The analysis highlights the potential for significant emissions reductions and identifies the importance of efficiency and insulation in optimizing cost-effectiveness. It also suggests that supportive incentives and policies may be necessary to address affordability challenges and promote widespread adoption.

Advanced Energy Design Guide for Multifamily Buildings-Achieving Zero Energy (AEDG) is the third in the AEDG zero energy guide series. The design guide outlines strategies for achieving energy targets such as setting measurable goals, hiring design teams committed to those goals, using simulation throughout the design and construction processes and being aware of how process decisions affect energy usage. In this edition, content has been included on renovation and resiliency along with expanded guidance on hot water and high load in multifamily buildings.