Biden administration beefs up energy efficiency standards on new federally funded housing

The Biden Administration recently moved to require more stringent energy efficiency standards on federally funded housing projects.

Developers building homes with taxpayer funds will have to construct to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2021 for low-density housing and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers ASHRAE 90.1 for multi-family projects. The new standards will result in energy savings of more than 35% for families, officials say.

An estimated 170,000 new homes per year would be impacted by the beefed-up standards. This includes newly built or financed subsidized housing, both urban and rural. Many of the residents will be families of limited means who will benefit from energy cost savings, the administration says.

The White House also pledged $830 million for clean-energy building retrofits for existing homes, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The U.S. is ill-prepared to provide adequate housing for the growing ranks of older people, according to a report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Over the next decade, the U.S. population older than 75 will increase by 45%, growing from 17 million to nearly 25 million, with many expected to struggle financially.

Almost a million apartment units are currently under construction in the U.S., says Apartment List.

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New York City aims to spur construction of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

To address a serious housing shortage, New York City is trying to get more homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The city recently unveiled a program that offers owners of single-family homes up to nearly $400,000 to construct an apartment on their property.

MFPRO+ News | Dec 5, 2023

DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Version 2 released

The U.S. Department of Energy has released Zero Energy Ready Home Multifamily Version 2. The latest version of the certification program increases energy efficiency and performance levels, adds electric readiness, and makes compliance pathways and the certification process more consistent with the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction (ESMFNC) program.

Austin, Texas, has devised a toolkit for creating 'equitable transit-oriented developments,' or ETODs.

Transit Facilities | Dec 4, 2023

6 guideposts for cities to create equitable transit-oriented developments

Austin, Texas, has developed an ETOD Policy Toolkit Study to make transit-oriented developments more equitable for current and future residents and businesses.