Building upon the April 2016 conference, “Housing Affordability and Climate Change: Confronting Physical, Financial and Regulatory Challenges to Retrofitting Multifamily Housing,” this event will feature feature two panels. The first panel will present case studies from multifamily building owners drawing the connection between both energy efficiency and resiliency upgrades, highlighting the co-benefits that can be realized from these investments. The second panel will examine the costs of climate “risk” to building owner and portfolio and the potential alignment between green and resilience from a funding perspective.
In OneNYC, the City committed to upgrade buildings to withstand the risks of climate change and extreme weather events, including sea level rise, heat and wind. The risk is increasing; New York City has already seen more than a foot of sea level rise since 1900 and the New York City Panel on Climate Change projects another one to two feet of sea level rise by 2050. New York City’s building stock must also be ready to withstand higher temperatures with average annual temperatures projected to rise between four and six degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, making this summer’s heatwaves a more regular occurrence.
While newly constructed buildings are being designed to meet the City’s current codes for elevation and energy efficiency, the City’s older building stock face the challenge of retrofitting aging systems to meet the City’s 80X50 greenhouse gas reduction targets and protect against costly flood damages. Energy efficiency, distributed energy systems and green infrastructure can protect vulnerable communities against prolonged power outages, and keep New Yorkers safely in their homes during and following an extreme weather event. For all buildings, adapting to changing climate conditions now by investing in energy and resiliency upgrades is the key to continuity of service in the face of future extreme weather events.
Programs such as the NYC Retrofit Accelerator, the Community Retrofit Accelerator, the NYC Housing Preservation Green Preservation Program, NYSERDA’s Multifamily Performance Program and the New York State’s Residential Technical Assistance Program are providing technical assistance and financial support to building owners to invest in these upgrades.
Organized by: NYC Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency and Enterprise Community Partners
