HUD grants seek to help residents of aging multi-family homes.
Twelve organizations have been selected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive portions of $23 million dollars so that they can test new and innovative ways to boost energy efficiency and cut electric bills in aging multi-family residential properties.
According to a press release from HUD, owners of aging apartment complexes around the country are desperate for ways to save on high bills and energy consumption.
“These grants are being awarded to a diverse collection of organizations that will help us find new ways to cut energy, save money and generate jobs!” said Acting Federal Housing Commissioner Carol Galante. ”This is more than just going green, its about bringing real dollars and cents solutions to a sector of the market that is currently wasting money heating and cooling buildings, some of which were built more than a generation ago.”
HUD hopes that these organizations will develop ideas and mechanisms that could be replicated nationally and that will help create industry standards in the home efficiency retrofit market.
These days there are many people in need of a job and this program promises to create some new jobs for construction workers, property management, technical analysis and sustainability, including opportunities for low income residents they say.
The University of Illinois in Champaign is one of the organizations that will receive funds. They are to receive a grant of $500,000 and their geographical impact is said to be in Champaign, Cook, Lake and Union counties.
Some other organizations recieving grants include, Enterprise Community Partners Inc., iCast, and New Ecology Inc.
New Ecology Inc. plans to implement the Massachusetts Green Energy Retrofit program, a shared energy manager program that will identify and implement energy efficient interventions in low income rental housing owned and operated by Massachusetts community development corporations and other for-profit and non-profit owners throughout Massachusetts with the $989,275 HUD funds and other grants they have received.
“These energy-saving innovations will be driven by the private sector who will help lead the way in bringing down the costs in our older multi-family housing stock. HUDs new Energy Innovation Fund will become the model for others to follow in the national effort to bring a new generation of energy efficiency to older residential properties.” Said Theodore Toon, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUDs Office of Affordable Housing Preservation.