The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is engaged in a multi-year project to create or expand comprehensive building upgrade programs for market-rate and affordable multifamily housing through partnerships between utilities and the multifamily housing community. We provide program administrators with research on best practices for program design and implementation, direct no-cost technical assistance to improve their existing offerings, and a peer-to-peer working group to learn from one another’s experiences.
The Savings Potential in Multifamily Buildings
Multifamily properties, those with apartment or condominium buildings, present a tremendous opportunity for energy savings. Comprehensive, cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades can improve the energy efficiency of these properties by 15-30% and save $3.4 billion in multifamily utility costs across the United States.
With building owners and other multifamily stakeholders, utilities can shape their programs to better address the needs of this sector.
Note: This map shows the potential for energy savings from multifamily buildings by state. The darker shades indicate states where the potential savings from multifamily buildings represent a larger share of current residential energy consumption.
While multifamily properties hold the potential for substantial savings, policies and programs focused on improving their energy efficiency face numerous challenges. ACEEE is helping program administrators overcome these obstacles through research that highlights program best practices and strategies.
Reports
- Closing the Gap in Energy Efficiency Programs for Affordable Multifamily Housing
- Our Powers Combined: Energy Efficiency and Solar in Affordable Multifamily Buildings
- More Savings for More Residents: Progress in Multifamily Housing Energy Efficiency
- Reaching More Residents: Opportunities for Increasing Participation in Multifamily Energy Efficiency Programs
- Multiple Benefits of Multifamily Energy Efficiency for Cost-Effectiveness Screening
- Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: Multifamily Housing and Utilities
- Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: Introducing Utilities to Energy Efficiency Needs on Multifamily Buildings and Their Owners
- Apartment Hunters: Programs Searching for Energy Savings in Multifamily Buildings
- Scaling Up Multifamily Energy Efficiency Programs: A Metropolitan Area Assessment
Technical Assistance Resources
- ACEEE Multifamily Utility Working Group Opportunity
- Benchmarking Initiatives in the Multifamily Market
- A Regulator's Guide for Multifamily Energy Efficiency
- Recommendations for Scaling Up Modest Low-Income Multifamily Energy Efficiency Programs
- Recommendations and Best Practices for Benchmarking Multifamily Buildings
- Recommendations and Best Practices for Revising Incentive Structure
- Effective Marketing and Outreach Strategies for Multifamily Energy Efficiency Programs
- Effective Strategies for Achieving High Participation and Deeper Savings in Income-Eligible Multifamily Buildings
- Notes and Key Findings from the 2014 Multifamily SLEEC Meeting