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Resources on Green Affordable Housing The following is a list of key resources on topics related to green building for affordable homes. If you're
aware of other resources that should be added, please contact us.
Costs and Benefit Studies of Green Affordable Housing
Green building techniques may generate utility savings over the life-cycle of the home, making homes less expensive to operate over a long period, but potentially more costly at the outset. A few studies have attempted to calculate the costs and benefits of building green.
Fact Sheets on Finances and Cost Estimation
This website provides a compilation of reports and studies on the costs and benefits of green building for affordable housing.
The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California's Sustainable Building Task Force. [PDF] 2003. By Greg Kats, Capital E.
This report reviews existing research on the costs and benefits of green building and finds that energy, waste, water savings and emissions reductions can be quantified, yet health and productivity benefits are more uncertain. Further research is necessary to better quantify and capture the precise savings associated with these benefits.
The Costs and Benefits of Green Affordable Housing. New Ecology Inc. & Tellus Institute. 2005. Available for purchase.
This comprehensive report analyzes the costs and benefits of sixteen green affordable housing projects. The authors suggest that using a life-cycle approach, green affordable housing is more cost effective in net present value terms than conventional affordable housing. They also provide policy recommendations to advance the green agenda in affordable housing and suggestions for further research.
Life Cycle Cost Analysis
This webpage offers step-by-step instructions to evaluate a building system or component’s total cost by measuring its initial and future costs. The analysis is a useful method for evaluating alternatives that serve similar purposes but differ in their initial and future costs.
Making Affordable Housing Truly Affordable: Advancing Tax Credit Incentives for Green Building and Healthier Communities. [PDF] 2005. Global Green USA.
This report presents an analysis of the tax credit allocation policy for all fifty states and identifies existing green building requirements in affordable housing projects.
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Green Building Standards
Multiple standards and certification programs are available to guide policymakers on green building with varying criteria for the construction or rehabilitation of homes.
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping provide cost savings to consumers and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
GreenPoint Rated
GreenPoint Rated is a program of Build It Green, a professional non-profit membership organization whose mission is to promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient buildings in California. GreenPoint Rated grades a home on five categories: Energy efficiency, resource conservation, indoor air quality, water conservation, and community.
Green Communities Criteria
Enterprise Community Partners developed Green Communities as the first national green building program developed for affordable housing. Green Communities focuses on the use of environmentally sustainable materials, reduction of negative environmental impacts and increased energy efficiency and emphasizes designs and materials that safeguard the health of residents. It encourages building locations that provide easy access to services and public transportation.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED is a rating tool for green building design and construction that provides immediate and measurable results for building owners and occupants.
National Green Building Standard
Developed by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) and International Code Council (ICC), these standards have been incorporated into new or rehabbed single-family and multi-family homes. Buildings are rated based on the level of energy savings incorporated into the building in four threshold levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Emerald).
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National Green Building Programs and Resources
Several organizations and programs exist whose mission is to promote and provide educational resources on green building practices, technology, and energy efficiency.
Energy Matters
The Pratt Center for Community Development has developed a resource
center that provides practical information for New York City building
managers and residents on how to operate and renovate their buildings
to make them more financially sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Energy Programs Consortium
The Energy Programs Consortium (EPC) fosters coordination and cooperation among state and federal agencies in the areas of energy policy and program development. EPC runs the Weatherization, Rehab and Asset Preservation (WRAP) Partnership to develop new delivery systems that combine energy efficiency and home renovation programs by linking housing affordability and weatherization programs.
Green Building Initiative
The Green Building Initiative (GBI) is a not for profit organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches for residential and commercial construction.
Green Building Resource Center
The Green Building Resource Center, a project of Global Green USA, provides free design advice and information about environmentally-friendly building products and strategies.
Green Operations and Maintenance: Toolkit and Buyer's Guide
Prepared by Bay Area LISC, this resources explains the benefits of greening operations and maintenance practices and provides a toolkit of green products including estimated costs and local retailers.
Greening of Affordable Housing Initiative
The Greening of Affordable Housing Initiative (GAHI) provides information and education on the practices and components of green affordable housing, cost issues and financial strategies, and relevant policy initiatives.
Guide to Green Building
The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) Guide to Green Building helps builders understand essential components of green building. These include low-impact development (LID), resource and waste management, energy-efficient system integration, resource-efficient plumbing and good indoor air quality, and homeowner education.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Green Development Center
LISC's Green Development Center provides financial resources, technical information, partnership opportunities, and education to LISC programs and the community development field to support the use of green design, construction, and management principles in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
NAHB National Green Building Program
The National Association of Home Builders Green Building program helps builders build green in a market-driven and affordable approach. The National Green Building Program hosts conferences, educational opportunities, research, and certification.
U.S Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit membership organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, provides educational training on green building and research on green building performance.
Rehabilitation-Focused Programs and Resources
Annotated Resources for Green Multifamily Rehabilitation
LISC has compiled a summary of resources available on the topic of green building rehabilitation for multifamily homes with links to download the publications.
Green Rehabilitation of Multifamily Rental Properties: A Resource Guide
Published by the Bay Area LISC and Build it Green, this report helps affordable housing developers integrate green building and energy efficiency into the upgrades of their multifamily properties. The Green Guide for Rehab explains the technologies and shows the opportunities for existing properties to 'go green.' The guide is designed to be used in tandem with an energy audit, building walkthrough, or site assessment that occurs at the outset of any rehabilitation project.
HUD’s Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor
This interactive website describes the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) guidelines for conducting energy efficient housing rehabilitation.
REGREEN
A partnership between U.S. Green Building Council and the American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation, REGREEN offers educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects. This program will increase understanding of sustainable renovation project practices and benefits among homeowners, residents, design professionals, product suppliers and service providers to build both demand and industry capacity.
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State and Local Incentive Programs for Green Building
The following resources list policies that local and state governments have developed to incentivize green building practices.
Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Green Multifamily Preservation Initiatives by State [PDF].
The National Housing Trust has compiled a list of state incentives for green building in existing multi-family properties.
The Green Affordable Housing Coalition
The Green Affordable Housing Coalition is a coalition of San Francisco Bay Area public-sector and private-sector professionals committed to incorporating green building practices into the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of affordable housing. The website offers case studies and resources on financing programs to assist with the green building process.
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Built Environment, Energy Consumption, and Climate Change
Well-coordinated housing, land-use, energy and transportation policies can achieve similar health, environmental, and long-term economic benefits as green building. In this section, you will find a number of reports on the link between affordable housing and the built environment, energy consumption, climate change and its impact on families. Click here to read more.
Climate-Change Policies Can Treat Poor Families Fairly and Be Fiscally Responsible. [PDF] 2007. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
This brief describes the need for policy makers to account for household income when making climate-change initiatives in order to protect low-income families from being overburdened by high energy costs.
Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change [PDF] 2007. Urban Land Institute and Smart Growth America.
This report makes a clear case for the relationship between urban development patterns and climate change. The report concludes that locating homes in conveniently placed, walkable neighborhoods, , can significantly reduce the growth in the number of miles Americans drive, shrink the nation’s carbon footprint, and give people more housing choices.
Income, Energy Efficiency, and Emissions: The Critical Relationship. [PDF] 2008. Matthew Brown, Energy Programs Consortium.
This report sets out the relationship between housing, income, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The authors assert that state and the federal government policymakers must take household income into account when they develop policies and programs to cut greenhouse gas emissions and residential energy consumption. Increasing energy efficiency in the residential sector will not only help the nation achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, it will also help to increase the sustainability of lower-income homeownership and the affordability of lower-income multi-family housing.
Bringing Home the Benefits of Energy Efficiency to Low-Income Households: The Case for National Commitment. [PDF] 2008. By Stockton Williams. Washington, D.C.: Enterprise.
This paper lays out a federal policy agenda to dramatically scale up energy efficiency in homes for families and individuals earning $25,000 or less. Utility bills often impose a financial hardship on the lowest income households, forcing many to make tradeoffs between heat, electricity and other basic necessities.
The Affordability Index: A New Tool for Measuring the True Affordability of a Housing Choice. [PDF] 2006. By Center for Transit-Oriented Development and Center for Neighborhood Technology. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
This brief describes a new information tool developed to quantify the impact of transportation costs on the affordability of housing choices.
A Heavy Load: The Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens of Working Families. [PDF]. 2006. By Barbara Lipman. Washington, D.C.: Center for Housing Policy.
This study presents the combined housing and transportation cost burdens of working families in 28 metropolitan areas at the neighborhood level. It also provides an overview of where working families live in each of the 28 areas and how their location decisions affect their commute times and costs.
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Click here to learn more about how to reduce energy usage, improve the environment and reduce the combined burden of housing, transportation, and utility costs.
Click here to learn more about various connections between housing and other policy areas
