Supporting Innovation for Sustainability in Affordable Housing

Supporting Innovation for Sustainability in Affordable Housing

To empower more households to participate in the transition to clean energy, local agencies can take advantage of federal funding through programs like the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program and more.

Economic and ecological conditions in many communities across the United States have created an urgent need for housing that is both affordable and sustainable. HUD’s annual Innovative Housing Showcase in Washington, D.C. features exhibits and panel discussions that offer a range of solutions to address these needs. A session at the 2024 Innovative Housing Showcase “Building Decarbonization and Affordable Energy Efficiency with the U.S. Department of Energy,” explored the connection between affordable housing and sustainability. Participants across several panels and conversations discussed how HUD, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and other agencies are addressing challenges and creating opportunities at the intersection of decarbonization and affordable housing.

Alexis Pelosi, senior advisor on climate in HUD’s Office of the Secretary, and Geraldine Richmond, undersecretary for science and innovation at DOE, opened the session by discussing ongoing agency collaborations to meet federally defined goals to reduce the effects of climate change, such as DOE’s Affordable Home Energy Shot and HUD’s efforts to produce an Equitable Decarbonization Roadmap.

Building a Federal Framework for Decarbonization

Ryan Colker, vice president of innovation at the International Code Council, moderated "Building Decarbonization Research & Development," a panel that included Regina Gray, director of the affordable housing research and technology division in HUD's Office of Policy Department and Research; Alejandro Moreno, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE; Carolyn Synder, deputy assistant secretary of buildings and industry for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE; and Fernando Pagés Ruiz, a consultant and author at BuildingAffordable.com.

The panelists discussed the challenges related to building affordable housing that is environmentally sustainable. Both Snyder and Pagés Ruiz underscored the impact of embodied carbon, which refers to the level of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the upstream stages of a product’s life. Snyder mentioned the need to consider the emissions footprint of the materials used in building and the impact of retrofitting. Pagés Ruiz called on industry to minimize the use of steel and concrete and to adopt alternative construction materials and techniques with lower carbon impacts.

The federal government has responded to these challenges with numerous programs, joined together by strategic planning for sustainability. Snyder discussed the Building Decarbonization Blueprint, which outlines a national strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 90 percent by 2050. Snyder noted that the blueprint’s approach is informed by a focus on equity, affordability, and resilience. Pelosi observed that broad approaches such as the blueprint are required to meet the necessary scale of the affordable energy transition.

Federal agencies are working with the private sector to promote the development and implementation of decarbonizing building technologies. Moreno elaborated on the Affordable Home Energy Shot that Richmond mentioned in her introductory remarks. This program aims to accelerate the development of innovative technologies to decarbonize residential buildings and lower the cost of implementing new technologies. Pagés Ruiz emphasized what he called the "relationship between economy and ecology" and the overlap between financially and ecologically efficient design. He described how, as a developer, his efforts to reduce the cost of his buildings also reduced the exposed surface area of the building in a way that reduced energy consumption, and the use of fewer and lighter materials combined with smaller home sizes have made his designs more energy efficient.

Implementation and Outreach

HUD's Bennett Hilley, senior advisor for housing and sustainability in the Office of Multifamily Housing, moderated the panel "Deploying Decarbonization Programs in Communities." The panelists were Keishaa Austin, acting principal deputy director for the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at DOE; Rod Brandon, executive director of the Seattle Housing Authority; and Heather Clark, senior director for the building sector at the White House Climate Policy Office.

The panel discussed how local agencies can take advantage of federal funding and empower more households to participate in the transition to clean energy. For example, Austin discussed the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program, which launched in New York in May 2024. The program has provided the state with nearly $160 million to distribute to low- and moderate-income households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes with electric appliances, heat pump water heaters, and better insulation. She also mentioned the Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps low-income households by adding low-cost improvements (such as weatherstripping for doors and windows) to improve the climate resilience and energy efficiency of their homes. The Weatherization Assistance Program provides these services to approximately 35,000 households every year.

The panelists also considered how existing federal programs could be expanded or enhanced to address unmet needs. Austin pointed out the need to expand funding for workforce training initiatives to ensure that the people who install green technologies such as heat pumps can do so correctly. Clark agreed and highlighted several local programs that address this need, such as a training program in which Baltimore high school students learn how to construct and retrofit buildings for zero emissions by working on vacant homes, which are later sold to lower-income families.

There is an ongoing need for outreach to residents and communities to ensure that they can identify and take advantage of federal funding opportunities. This outreach can mean building accessibility into the application process and supplementing with technical assistance where needed. For example, Hilley noted that the application for the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which provides funding to projects that improve energy or water efficiency, was designed to be as streamlined and accessible as possible. Austin discussed the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, which helps states, local governments, and Tribes (including rural and disadvantaged communities) implement strategies to reduce their carbon footprint. “We have to meet people where they’re at,” said Austin. “A part of what we have to do is tell the story a bit better so that more and more folks are coming to the table and wanting to get the help that we can readily provide.”

Moving Forward, Working Together

The session concluded with a fireside chat between Pelosi and Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE, which expanded on many themes from earlier in the session. Both Pelosi and Marootian agreed on the need for continued strong interagency collaboration as well as long-term investment in affordable energy. "This isn't a sprint," said Pelosi. "It's a long-term investment in our communities to ensure that they're resilient, to ensure that they're cost effective, to improve the health, lives and safety of residents."