ICAST Releases Resource Guide for Deploying Solar in Multifamily Housing

ICAST MarketingBlog Leave a Comment

Since 2019, ICAST has been working with the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Office to implement Project SunLight, an initiative to overcome the hurdles of deploying solar PV in MFAH. MFAH has been chronically underserved by clean energy programs, denying the low-income tenants access to green solutions that could reduce their utility bills and improve their quality of …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: Green Upgrades – Customer Satisfaction and Keeping Costs Low

ICAST MarketingICAST News, Blog, Industry News Leave a Comment

By Rob Foley | Technical Solutions Specialist  Mr. Foley supports the organization with his expertise in energy auditing, capital need assessments, and energy modeling.   New incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have elevated high-efficiency heat pump HVAC technology in our news feeds and conversations. ICAST has been promoting and installing these systems for years because we recognized their potential …

August 2023 Policy Blog

ICAST MarketingICAST News, Blog, Industry News Leave a Comment

Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Update on Biden Administration’s Investing in America Tour President Biden and team recently toured the U.S. to directly communicate with communities impacted by his Investing in America Agenda. During the tour, the President discussed how federal investments including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are driving a manufacturing and …

Heat Pump being repaired

Electrification Upgrades

ICAST MarketingBlog Leave a Comment

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

ICAST MarketingIndustry News, Blog, ICAST News Leave a Comment

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 …

Taking Advantage of Federal Funds to Preserve and Construct Affordable Housing – Lessons Learned from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

ICAST MarketingICAST News, Blog Leave a Comment

If you follow ICAST’s blog, you know we have been hard at work leveraging opportunities created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to scale green solutions in underserved communities. For example, as previously reported, the BIL provided $3.2B for the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) on top of the $1.6B standard WAP …

Man Installing Heat Pump

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

ICAST MarketingBlog, ICAST News, Industry News Leave a Comment

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 …

Electric vehicle plugged into EV charger

Leveraging Available Incentives for EV Charging Infrastructure on Multifamily Properties

ICAST MarketingBlog, ICAST News, Industry News Leave a Comment

by Ravi Malhotra NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, June 2023 As demand for electric vehicles (EVs) intensifies, multifamily (MF) owners and operators are increasingly forced to explore their EV charging options. EV sales have soared, increasing by 67% from 2021 to 2022, and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has adopted an International Code Council provision requiring apartment communities to provide EV charging …

Old public housing photo

HUD Launches New Program to Pay for Multifamily Green Rehab

ICAST MarketingBlog, ICAST News, Industry News Leave a Comment

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 …

Renewable or clean energy generation prices and costs, financial concept : Green eco-friendly symbols atop coin stacks e.g. energy efficient light bulb, a battery, a solar cell panel, a wind turbine.

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

ICAST MarketingICAST News, Industry News, Blog Leave a Comment

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 …