Mercy Housing becomes inaugural partner in Better Buildings Challenge multifamily housing expansion

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 5, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — National affordable housing nonprofit Mercy Housing is pleased to announce that it is one of the inaugural multifamily housing partners joining President Obama’s Better Buildings Challenge. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced the expansion of the President’s Better Buildings Challenge to include multifamily housing. DOE and HUD recognize the energy efficiency commitment that Mercy Housing is making as a Better Buildings Challenge Partner.

In his recent Climate Action Plan, President Obama called for leading multifamily housing owners to join the Better Buildings Challenge. As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, Mercy Housing and other partners have committed to cutting energy use in their buildings portfolio-wide, by 20 percent within ten years.

“By committing to the energy efficiency goals of the Better Buildings Challenge, Mercy Housing has taken a significant step towards reducing long term energy costs, supporting innovative technologies, and creating good jobs,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Working together, we will increase housing affordability for owners and residents and foster healthier communities and neighborhoods.”

Mercy Housing and the other multifamily leaders also broadly share successful strategies that maximize energy efficiency in multifamily housing, contributing actual energy data to verify the energy savings of implemented energy upgrades.

“Mercy Housing is committed to reducing energy consumption by 20 percent across our entire national portfolio of 281 properties comprised of 16.7 million square feet by 2020,” said Mercy Housing CEO Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM.  “Mercy Housing is proud to be a partner in the Better Buildings Challenge as we work to achieve our goal of creating healthier living environments for all of our residents.”

Through the Better Buildings Challenge expansion, 50 multifamily partners – representing roughly 200,000 units and over 190 million square feet – have committed to cutting their energy use by 20 percent in ten years.

“Partners in the Better Buildings Challenge are leading by example, demonstrating their commitment to providing more efficient and comfortable homes for their tenants that save money and energy,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. “We applaud these partners for joining in this leadership initiative and we look forward to working with them as they make their communities more energy efficient and foster greater economic growth.”

About Mercy Housing
Mercy Housing, a national not-for-profit affordable housing organization headquartered in Denver, has a presence in 41 states, serves more than 151,000 people on any given day and has participated in the development, financing or operation of more than 45,000 homes. Mercy Housing serves families, seniors and people with special needs (formerly homeless, people with HIV/AIDS and the developmentally disabled). For more information about Mercy Housing, please visit mercyhousing.org.

About the Better Buildings Challenge:
About a quarter of U.S. households live in multifamily housing units and spend about $40 billion on energy costs each year. Making these housing units 20 percent more energy efficient would save more than $7 billion per year and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 430 million tons. As part of the Better Buildings Challenge, DOE and the HUD are partnering with leading private and affordable buildings owners and public housing agencies to cut energy waste and help families save money.

Better Building Challenge multifamily Partners are leaders in market rate multifamily housing, public housing authorities, and affordable housing.

Visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/challenge for more information on the organizations participating in the Better Buildings Challenge for multifamily housing and a detailed description of their commitments.

Launched in December of 2011 by President Obama, the Better Buildings Initiative takes a broad multi-strategy approach to accelerate energy savings through leadership, innovation, partnerships and demonstrated best practices.  The Better Buildings Challenge is the central leadership initiative through which organizations of all types — local and state governments, schools, business, and manufacturers — commit to portfolio-wide energy savings goals and to share successful strategies that help achieve these goals and overcome financial and technical barriers in the marketplace. Utilities and financial firms also commit to focus resources on building improvements.