City Working to Help Affordable Housing Go Green
The City of Albuquerque is taking new strides towards citywide sustainability goals with a new partnership with the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST). ICAST will assess and make energy efficiency improvements to eight city-owned affordable housing properties.
“Utilities can be one of the highest expenses for households,” said Joseph Montoya, Deputy Director of Housing. “This investment in energy efficiency at our apartment complexes will both save our tenants money and extend the longevity of these units so that they can continue to provide affordable housing for years to come. We look forward to the positive impact that this will have on the tenants and the community.”
ICAST is a leading organization working to bring clean energy solutions to multi-family affordable housing in New Mexico. They will be assessing energy and water use across the City’s portfolio of housing properties, modeling future energy savings, and installing clean energy and green solutions where appropriate while minimizing disruptions to current tenants.
"The weatherization of these properties is more than just building retrofits; they are a path to energy efficiency, savings, and safety. By empowering low-income families to reduce bills and improve the comfort, safety, and health of their homes, we're not just weatherizing buildings; we're weatherizing lives," said Ravi Malhotra, President and Founder of ICAST.”
As the current manager of PNM’s multifamily utility energy efficiency program and a contractor with the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority to assist in housing weatherization, ICAST is able to leverage multiple outside funding sources to carry out many of the improvements they will recommend to the City. The City is pursuing additional federal funding to cover projects ICAST won’t be able to carry out.
“We’re continuing to address the unequal energy burdens that our frontline communities face,” said Ann Simon, Deputy Director of Policy and Sustainability Officer for the City of Albuquerque. “Energy efficiency projects like these save families money, reduce emissions, and help make our city more equitable.”
In alignment with the City’s 2021 the Climate Action Plan, the City of Albuquerque is committed to addressing existing inequities with projects that reduce energy costs and burdens for frontline communities. This project is the latest development in supporting energy efficiency in low-income communities in Albuquerque and builds off of the existing Community Energy Efficiency project, which has provided over 200 homes with free energy audits and upgrades in partnership with PNM and Prosperity Works.