2022 Spring Issue - 50

" We asked the contractor if we could provide training to the subcontractors. Our project
management team trained them on Passive House construction methods before the job
started, and afterward, their bids dropped by 60 or 70 percent, just because of that transfer of
knowledge. "
-RODGER BROWN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PRESERVATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING INC.
JOHNS: For new urban developments, one of the
biggest challenges that I see is the jurisdiction's
requirements and the monopoly of infrastructure.
Net zero energy requires a lot of renewable
resources on site, which can be challenging in an
urban environment. But net zero carbon is best
achieved by making the development all electric.
For example, in Boston the utility company requires
an additional transformer to be on site, not underneath
the sidewalk, so this takes up a considerable
amount of developable space, in addition to access
requirements. This creates a disincentive to electrification.
Different cities have different priorities in
terms of historic preservation and sustainability. If
certain aspects of a historic building are required to
be retained in a renovation, the developer may be
required to spend their money on that instead of on
more efficient equipment or strategies that would
lead to net zero carbon.
What would make adopting net zero and
other sustainability goals easier?
JOHNS: Governments could modify some of those
requirements I mentioned above, but we could
also focus on things like prefabrication-anything
to shorten the construction timeline to maximize
the profits for the developer. There are also many
government tax rebates and subsidies available, so
continued promotion of those would help.
BROWN: If knowledge of sustainable design strategies
were spread more widely through the industry,
then the premium associated with implementing
these strategies would go down. We're building a
Passive House transit-oriented mixed-income project
in Boston now, and when we put out bids for the
contractor, we had very specific requirements in
order to meet the Passive House standard. Some
of the subcontractors added a premium to their
bids because they didn't have experience meeting
those requirements. So we asked the contractor if
we could provide training to the subcontractors. Our
project management team trained them on Passive
House construction methods before the job started,
50
URBAN LAND
SPRING 2022
and afterward, their bids dropped by 60 or 70 percent,
just because of that transfer of knowledge.
SWETT: When I was a city official in Boston, I saw
a number of property owners who aligned federal,
state, and local incentives and grants, as well as
getting creative with power purchase agreements
and virtual power purchase agreements. However,
some programs that support affordable housing
could be set up to meet environmental goals more
effectively. For example, the federally funded Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP]
helps families with their home energy bills. But
money from sources like LIHEAP could also be
invested in more cost-effective heat pumps or a
more efficient natural gas boiler, which would lower
utility bills while lowering emissions.
BAUMGARTNER: Passive design strategies, urban
density, and centralization of energy systems can be
designed and financed in new and innovative ways.
If we just build sustainable design elements as
line items, they can be very difficult to justify financially,
and affordable housing developments are
often financially stretched. But if we take a broader
approach and factor in the larger costs to society of
not doing things effectively for the community as a
whole and the larger costs of not making decisions
through the lens of sustainability, resiliency, and
equity, then the financial case becomes clearer.
PonTell: So much depends on the rate structures
for water or energy and whether the alternative
sources of energy are cost competitive with the
incumbent sources of energy. A lot of that has to do
with innovation from a technology standpoint and
how quickly that innovation is coming along. If the
affordable housing industry can see more models
of how to incorporate sustainable technologies and
we can share that information, that would really
help speed adoption of more sustainable practices.
When you're trying to figure it out on your own and
all you're doing is talking to the solar panel salesman,
you're more likely to be risk adverse when it
comes to switching to renewables.

2022 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 Spring Issue