Energy efficiency programs are key to helping multifamily building owners and tenants keep energy costs low. Under-resourced families have the most to gain from deeper investments in energy efficiency in affordable housing, since those families often spend up to five times more of their income on energy compared to the average household.
Over the last four years, increased access to energy efficiency in multifamily buildings has been a significant priority for Fresh Energy. As co-leaders of the Minnesota Multifamily Affordable Housing Energy Network (MMAHEN), we have worked to encourage utilities to develop energy efficiency programs that maximize energy savings in multifamily buildings, such as Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy’s joint Multi-Family Building Efficiency Program (MFBE). The program offers energy efficiency services plus incentives for building owners for achieving energy-saving goals.
New success stories developed by Xcel, CenterPoint, and the Minnesota Department of Commerce show the benefits of a “one-stop” whole-building approach, like the MFBE program, to spur energy efficiency in multifamily buildings. Some highlights from the success stories include:
- Diamond Pointe Apartments, a 63-unit complex in South Minneapolis, was the first building to complete the MFBE program since it began in late 2015.
- Diamond Pointe Apartments also achieved an estimated 26.6 percent gas and electric energy savings and received the maximum incentive possible for the program (40 percent of the total cost of efficiency improvements).
- Granite Trails Apartments, a three-building, 109-unit complex in Maplewood achieved an estimated 18 to 19 percent gas and electric energy savings per building and earned a 25 percent incentive toward the total cost of efficiency improvements.
Minnesota Multifamily Affordable Housing Energy Network members had the opportunity to provide recommendations and feedback to Xcel and CenterPoint as they developed the Multi-Family Building Efficiency Program. We are pleased to see these success stories of projects that will benefit both building owners and tenants through lower energy bills, decreased operating expenses, and improved tenant comfort. We look forward to continued collaboration with Xcel and CenterPoint to find opportunities to drive even more savings through this program.
For more information on the Multi-Family Building Efficiency success stories visit:
- Overview of Diamond Pointe Apartments project from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources
- Overview of Diamond Pointe Apartments project from Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy
- Overview of Granite Trails Apartments project from Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy
