MPHA will use the energy savings from the programme – guaranteed by Honeywell through a 20-year performance contract – to finance most of the improvements, which will impact more than 40 highrise buildings and 700 single-family residences across the city.
Cora McCorvey, executive director of MPHA, said: “This programme allows MPHA to make important upgrades to our properties in a way that will benefit our residents, contribute to the long-term preservation of our affordable housing resources, make significant investments in the local economy and greatly diminish our carbon footprint ”
The programme is expected to reduce the housing authority’s annual electricity consumption by approximately 3.3 million kilowatt-hours. It will also cut carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 19.2 million pounds annually. According to figures from the US Environmental Protection Agency, this is equivalent to removing almost 1,600 cars from the road.
Local contractors will help complete more than 60% of work, which ranges from replacing old, inefficient boilers that provide heat for facilities to caulking, weather-stripping and sealing building doors, windows and seams.
During peak construction, MPHA and Honeywell anticipate that nearly 250 trades people will be employed as part of the programme. In addition, the housing authority and Honeywell will provide residents with opportunities to serve as paid educators and ambassadors, helping other residents understand and utilize the energy-saving strategies tied to this initiative. All the improvements are expected to be finished by late 2010.
Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions, said: “This programme gives MPHA a way to address its aging infrastructure and reduce its environmental footprint – without increasing operating budgets. These efforts not only benefit the housing authority and its residents, but make a positive impact on the community as a whole.”
