Use the Future as a Reference

Torchlight Use The Future As A Reference

By: Nancy E. Anderson, Ph.D., Executive Director, the Sallan Foundation

Issue: Torchlight #53

Date: May, 2014

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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org

Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us While a New York Times Editorial calls Mayor de Blasio’s ambitious

and sweeping affordable housing vision Housing New York: A Five-

Borough, Ten-Year Plan, his “moon shot”, I’d like to focus in on his

plan’s energy efficiency and resiliency ideas. Coincidentally, the day

after the Mayor issued his housing report President Obama released

the US National Climate Assessment and for a coastal city like New

York, here’s a finding that stands out:

“The American scientists said the rise could be anywhere from one

to four feet, and added that six feet could not be entirely ruled out.

Along much of the East Coast, the situation will be worse than the

global average because the land there is sinking”.

Although energy efficiency and resiliency ideas are not the headline

grabbers in the Mayor’s affordable housing report, they do get

sketched in and this merits both applause and scrutiny. Why? As

the Financial Times observes:

“Those most vulnerable to climate change include the elderly,

children, the poor and the sick... Others are at risk because they

live in floodplains, coastal areas, or urban areas where damage to

one piece of infrastructure, such as the electricity grid, quickly has

a knock-on effect on other essential services.”

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Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us Sounds a lot like the risks facing New Yorkers.

Of course, since far too many New Yorkers also face the threat of

rising rents, unaffordable housing and displacement, doubling up

or homelessness, the urgency propelling the vision of Housing

New York is undeniable. Mayor de Blasio is right, “We do have a

crisis of affordability on our hands.” My purpose is to identify

opportunities where mitigating housing risks intertwine with

mitigating climate risks and ending wasteful, costly energy sloth.

Back in February 2014, I wrote:

“At a press conference announcing his picks for senior housing

agency positions, Mayor de Blasio flagged the need for retooling

public housing to make it energy-efficient... What the Mayor’s

engagement can do is scale up new construction and rehabbing of

affordable homes to make energy efficiency and fuel economy the

new normal. He can end forever the critics’ claim that climate

friendly, energy efficient housing is a luxury American cities can’t

afford.”

Again, Mayor de Blasio is right, “Things must change.” and here’s

what he intends to do.

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Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us

“To help mitigate rising utility costs and preserve affordability, the

City will launch a new program to target mid-size and small

buildings — in concert with local utilities and existing subsidy

programs — to incentivize energy retrofits in exchange for

affordability commitments from building owners.” This proposal

would significantly extend energy efficiency goals beyond the

50,000 square foot threshold of the City’s energy benchmarking

and audit/retro-commissioning laws.”

At the same time, the report observes the City could tackle the

problem renters face with monthly utility bills that have risen 20%

from 2002–2011. I look forward to program details.

Housing New York calls repeatedly and accurately for planning

and funding the infrastructure new housing development will

require. While many kinds of infrastructure are entailed in new

development, especially the new dense development envisioned in

the plan, there is no mention of the electricity and natural gas

energy infrastructure and what will be done to meet new demand

reliably, cost-effectively and in a low-carbon manner. More work is

needed here to define the Administration’s position on developing

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Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us microgrids or fostering more combined heat and power systems

and how the state and federal government could assist in such

efforts. The City’s energy infrastructure has to be part of its

affordable housing plans.

Housing New York is acutely

aware of how little vacant land is

available in the City for new

construction and expects new

waterfront development to be part

of the picture. This will entail, as

the report stipulates, that

coordinated planning and public

investment to build resiliency for

coastal flood risks is a must. Again, the roll out of plan details may

reveal how energy systems will be made more resilient in flood-

prone areas and the ultimate success of the plan will hinge on

fostering robust, sustainable critical infrastructure upon which the

physical, economic and social resilience of our communities rests.

It is encouraging that the de Blasio Administration will establish an

“Existing Buildings Code Revision Committee” to address how to

make housing more flood and wind resistant, among other things.

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Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us

The linkage of housing sustainability and affordability comes to the

fore in sections of the report addressing the preservation of

affordable housing. Among its key strategies is, “Promote

Sustainability, Resiliency and Long-Term Affordability While

Helping Building Owners Reduce Operating Costs”. Yes! The

report suggests small landlords, “May benefit from training on best

practices for maintaining their residential buildings… and from

information about resources that are available to improve building

performance and operating costs”. The report also calls for creation

of an energy and water utility cost-reduction program by way of

building and equipment retrofits. It cautions, however, that too

many buildings have not undergone even simple, low cost

upgrades because owners lack technical understanding or lack the

financial means. Accordingly, “The City will create a pilot outreach

and financial assistance program to provide grants or loans, as

appropriate, to accelerate investment in energy and water

efficiency projects. The pilot program intends to target some of the

oldest and most vulnerable housing stock, including smaller and

mid-size tenement buildings.” While this is a good start, the report

does not set project participation goals or cost savings targets and

misses the chance to make use of the City’s existing energy

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Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us benchmarking database to help target low-performing, vulnerable

buildings larger than 50,000 square feet.

Still it’s early days. Let’s see, what the de Blasio administration —

making use of existing programs undertaken by the federal

government like the Franklin Plaza Mitchell Lama development

with 1,634 unit of affordable housing undergoing both general and

energy performance rehabilitation in concert with outstanding

local innovators like Enterprise Community Partners, Green Light

New York HDC and the New York City Energy Efficiency

Corporation, NYSERDA, Con Ed and National Grid — will do to

enable property owners to cut utility and fuel costs while

improving energy performance, thereby saving themselves and

their tenants real money.

The administration affirms that it wants to go green, so let’s judge

it on its forthcoming accomplishments. Housing New York

commits “to building sustainable affordable housing

communities”. Since the City has already adopted the well-

respected Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, which reflect a

“commitment to green and sustainable affordable housing”, for

renovation work supported by the Department of Housing

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Torchlight #53

Till Human Voices Wake Us Preservation and Development, now is the time to make these type

of standards mandatory for all new and preserved residential

buildings. Absent such requirements, the problems of affordability,

unnecessary energy consumption and carbon emissions will

remain chronic.

For right now, here’s one proposal to harness the myriad demands

for real world innovation created by Housing New York and to

stimulate real-world sustainability ideas, ideas for doing better

than we do today. Sallan calls on Mayor de Blasio to sponsor an

annual contest for the best energy performing housing. New

Yorkers love to compete and they love to be winners. The top

buildings and residents can reap symbolic awards and tangible

benefits. Let’s use the future as a reference — not the past!

Nancy Anderson is the Executive Director of the Sallan Foundation.

Use the Future as a Reference

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