Improve Efficiency with the Multifamily Energy Savings Project

Energy costs represent a substantial portion–often up to 50 percent–of most families’ monthly budget. With so much money being devoted to energy consumption, any reduction in costs would be beneficial, especially to low-income families or those on limited budgets. The Multifamily Energy Savings Project, a new nationwide energy savings and cost reduction program, intends to improve energy efficiency for multifamily housing in communities throughout the United States

The Multifamily Energy Savings Project

The Multifamily Energy Savings Project is a multi-year energy efficiency and improvement project of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The ACEEE also receives support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a noted philanthropic organization, and from partners such as Elevate Energy. The Multifamily Energy Savings Project will address the energy efficiency and saving needs of multifamily housing through improved and expanded utility programs, according to information on the ACEEE website.

The project intends to increase the number of utility companies offering energy efficiency programs and incentives for multifamily housing units. It seeks to increase the amount utility companies spend on these programs by 25 percent by the end of 2015. At the same time, the project wants to provide increased savings of at least 25 percent for utility customers who participate.

To accomplish its goals, the project will work to increase awareness of, and participation in, building upgrade programs for both market-rate and affordable multifamily housing. The ACEEE and its partners will work to involve utility companies and housing groups while promoting interest in the program and its benefits. The project will encourage peer-to-peer learning initiatives which will help homeowners and other participants learn from each other. It will also serve as a resource and information distributor for interested parties such as utility companies, regulators, homeowners, and advocates.

The Need to Address Multifamily Housing

Multifamily housing units represent significant potential for energy efficiency improvements. The ACEEE projects that energy-efficiency boosts, retrofits, and other improvements can increase the efficiency of multifamily structures by:
30 percent for natural gas heating.

15 percent for electric heating and cooling. In total, the savings expected by using the Multifamily Energy Savings Project’s suggestions and techniques could amount to annual savings of more than $3.4 billion dollars for occupants of multifamily dwellings, according to the ACEEE. For example, at the 30/15 percent efficiency improvement rates, in the densely populated states of California and New York, the project’s energy programs are expected to provide energy savings of two percent or more.

In most of the other U.S. states, savings would be between .75 to 2 percent. Multifamily Energy Savings Project Objectives Among the objectives of the Multifamily Energy Savings Project are customer and utility outreach programs, research projects, and technical assistance for implementing energy efficiency improvements.

Specifically, the project seeks to:

• Create a professional working group of gas and electric utility companies with an interest in programs designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use in multifamily housing. At the same time, this group will provide peer-to-peer support and education for other utility companies that are interested in collaboration.
• Establish a resource base for utility companies, housing groups, community organizations, and homeowners. The material provided by these resources would help inform and educate participants on energy efficiency programs available and on techniques of effective energy savings. Information would include basic introductory material on energy efficiency, illustrative case studies, and assessments of existing multifamily utility programs and efficiency initiatives.
• Provide technical assistance to local utilities as well as city and state organizations for implementing the more complex elements of energy efficiency programs and techniques.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection, and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial, and Residential settings. For more information on the multifamily energy savings project and how it can improve your home’s energy efficiency, and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!