This session will report on the results of benchmarking over 120,000 units of affordable housing in Massachusetts as part of the utility sponsored Affordable Housing Metrics project. The process, challenges, and successes of benchmarking at scale will be discussed.

This session will give real world examples of multi-family affordable housing projects that made decisions about trade-offs between construction costs and reduced operating costs. While project teams strive to have no- or low-cost implications for environmentally responsible building features, sometimes a simple payback analysis or life cycle costing can help make decisions. We will have perspectives from RMI’s Super Efficient Housing Program Manager, a green building consultant and an architect to explore some case studies.

Effective management of airflow in multifamily buildings is often attempted but rarely achieved. This session will focus on effective methods to air seal between units, as well as exterior walls. Compartmentalizing multifamily units in this way has proven benefits in comfort, health, efficiency, and operating costs. Certification programs such as Energy Star and LEED are catching up. Come to this session to learn how smart practitioners are doing it right.

This session will identify the many variables that influence HVAC & domestic hot water system selection for large (75+ units) multi-family projects. Several project examples will be illustrated including: new construction, mill conversions to housing and occupied rehabs. The large number of variables makes this a complex task that this session will aim to simplify.

Learn the top mistakes that multifamily owners make when financing and designing renewable energy systems. Renewable energy technologies have been widely adopted in multifamily buildings, but many projects still run into common and avoidable pitfalls. For example, do you really know how to make the right decisions when it comes to financing and roof mounting? Come to this session and avoid the lore and misconceptions that decision makers often come across.