Heat Pump being repaired

Electrification Upgrades

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A New Generation of Heat Pump Systems Increases Efficiency By Ravi Malhotra Tax Credit Advisor, July 2023 More and more states have regulations and mandates requiring multifamily affordable housing properties to decarbonize (i.e., replace the use of natural gas, oil, or propane with electricity). This can be accomplished by upgrading systems for space and water heating. Electric heat pumps are …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: What We Can Learn from Other Countries About Scaling Heat Pump Technology

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Jeff Hargis | ICAST Senior Technical Project Manager  Mr. Hargis supports the organization by leveraging his expertise in energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and project management to help drive ICAST’s green retrofit projects.   Heat pumps for space and water heating are receiving growing attention in the U.S. as a means of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing utility costs. More …

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Green Tech Insights – Why ICAST is Electrified by Heat Pump HVAC

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Heat pumps for space conditioning and water heating are an increasingly important part of ICAST’s efforts to deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits in the multifamily housing market. Heat pump HVAC systems provide heating and cooling, transferring heat from one area to another rather than generating heat. They can be several times more efficient than conventional space heating and cooling …

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ICAST Experts Weigh In: Optimizing Health and Energy Solutions for Affordable Housing

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Max Wilkinson | Healthy Homes Program Manager Mr. Wilkinson helps design and shepherd ICAST’s efforts to improve home health for tenants in multifamily affordable housing. ICAST’s goal with every multifamily retrofit is to increase home health, safety, comfort, and affordability for low- and moderate-income tenants. We have a custom, whole-building approach—in other words, we identify and deliver the best solutions …

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HUD Launches New Program to Pay for Multifamily Green Rehab

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The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced the availability of  landmark funding through the new Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) to support retrofits for HUD-assisted multifamily affordable housing (MFAH) properties.    The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided HUD with approximately $837M in grant funding and $4B in loan authority for the GRRP. This program simultaneously invests in utility efficiency, renewable …

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Clean Energy Financing Insights – Why Green Retrofits Offer Better Bang for the Buck

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It is understandably challenging for cost-constrained multifamily affordable housing (MFAH) property owners and managers to spend their carefully budgeted dollars on unfamiliar green tech (e.g., heat pump-based HVAC) vs. familiar technologies with lower upfront costs. While “going green” can be expensive, traditional or “business as usual” retrofits have limited benefits. They may solve an immediate problem (e.g., addressing/replacing failed HVAC …

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Accessing Federal and Utility Incentives for Green Projects

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By Ravi Malhotra / NH&RA Issue: April 2023 The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provided the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) $3.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This is on top of the ongoing ~$1.6 billion allocation (the standard WAP allocation independent of the BIL money for WAP) over the next five years. The BIL funds allow for some …

How Utility Programs Can Drive Electrification and Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Affordable Housing

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by Ravi Malhotra, Founder & President, ICAST Originally published in NH&RA’s Tax Credit Advisor Magazine, December 2022 While the federal, state and local governments are picking up the pace in their decarbonization efforts, very few of those programs, and even fewer utility rebate programs, specifically target multifamily housing. Unless the multifamily sector acts, it runs the risk of missing out …

November 2022 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Department of Housing and Urban Development Receives Multifamily Program Comments On October 27, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) closed its Request for Information (RFI) to obtain public input regarding the development of its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). The RFI sought guiding information on prioritizing the GRRP’s work, …

October 2022 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Department of Housing and Urban Development Releases New Guidelines for Community Solar Participants The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued new guidance to HUD Multifamily Housing field staff, owners, and management agents on the treatment of on-bill virtual net energy metering credits commonly resulting from a resident’s participation in …