The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced three new Better Business Accelerators and 50 new partners that will join them in improving the critical infrastructure in communities nationwide. NHC member Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) was announced as one of the partners and will work to support clean energy adoption for low-income communities.
The Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator supports the President’s Climate Action Plan with the goal of accelerating investment in home energy efficiency improvement projects across the country. The collaboration’s focus is to lower energy bills in low-income communities through installation of energy efficient renewables. The program also encourages the development of innovative partnerships, best practices and funding models that a state-level agency, local government or utility program could deploy for communities that are most in need.
“SAHF is excited to help deliver the many benefits of clean energy to low income communities,” Rebecca Schaaf, Senior Vice President for Energy at SAHF said in a press release. “This collaboration is an opportunity to bring affordable housing to the forefront of green building practices and ensure a seat at the table for all income groups as we build our clean energy future.”
NHC is committed to work on energy efficiency in affordable housing. We are actively engaged in advocacy for the Clean Power Plan, an EPA requirement for states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and we’re focused on making sure energy efficiency improvements happen in a way that benefits low-income communities and affordable housing. View our policy brief on the subject.
Since the launch of the multifamily component of the Better Buildings Challenge in December 2013, SAHF and its eleven members have been key partners to the Department of Energy, developing and sharing a wide range of tools to help partners achieve their goals, including the EZ Retrofit Tool and an Operations and Maintenance Toolkit.