BRIDGE, a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing, has achieved cumulative energy savings of 49% since 2013 due to greater efficiency efforts across its building portfolio.
BRIDGE is one of the market leaders partnering with DOE and HUD to set portfolio-wide energy savings goals and share their efficiency strategies on the Better Buildings Solution Center. To date, Better Buildings partners have saved $13.5 billion in energy costs and more than 2.2 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy, resulting in more than 130 million metric tons of avoided carbon emissions.
“Congratulations to this year’s Better Buildings and Better Plants Goal Achievers for reaching tremendous energy savings and demonstrating leadership for other organizations to emulate,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. “These organizations are setting and meeting aggressive efficiency goals that will pave the way to a clean energy future and a reinvigorated economy.”
BRIDGE used several energy savings pathways—improved operations and maintenance, resident engagement, appliance and equipment upgrades, multiple approaches to whole building retrofits, and use of renewable energy—to meet its commitment under the Better Buildings Challenge. BRIDGE installed rooftop solar at more than 40 properties, for example, and undertook common-area retrofits at properties such as Copper Creek Apartments, where measures resulted in an energy savings of 23%.
Kranti Malik, Senior Portfolio and Sustainability Associate for BRIDGE, spoke at the Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit in May: “We’re continuing our efforts towards sustainability through energy efficiency retrofits. We’ll be installing solar on at least 30 additional properties using SOMAH (Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing) funding, we’re installing our first EV Level 1 chargers at a property, and we’ll also be using the Self-Generation Incentive Program to fund battery storage projects. All of these efforts will save on energy costs and consumption, at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” Ultimately, these measures contribute to more sustainable environments that benefit residents and communities alike.
Through the Better Buildings Challenge, HUD partners with DOE to support the multifamily housing sector, providing incentives and technical assistance for utility benchmarking and planning portfolio-wide investments in energy and water efficiency.
The Better Buildings Challenge is one component of the Better Buildings Initiative, through which DOE partners with public and private sector organizations to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings more efficient, thereby saving energy and money while creating jobs. To date, more than 950 Better Buildings partners have shared their innovative approaches and strategies for adopting energy efficient technologies. Discover more than 3,000 of these solutions in the Better Buildings Solution Center.
For more information about BRIDGE, visit www.bridgehousing.com.
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