Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2017
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov

NYCHA AND MAYOR’S OFFICE OF TECH + INNOVATION ANNOUNCE WINNING PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Innovative proposals include green and smart building technologies that will help NYCHA become a more efficient and effective landlord while improving residents’ comfort and well-being.

NEW YORK— Today, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation (MOTI) announced the winners for the NYCHA’s two Calls for Innovations (CFI). CFIs, developed by MOTI in partnership with Citymart, are calls for new ideas that test new approaches and technologies. Through the CFIs, NYCHA sought innovative technologies for reducing electric demand and improving heating efficiency in public housing. The winning proposals include green and smart building technologies such as high-efficiency steam heat exchangers, web-enabled radiator valves and smart air conditioner controllers/sensors. These new technologies will help NYCHA become a more efficient and effective landlord while improving residents’ comfort and well-being.

Bomee Jung, NYCHA Vice President of Energy and Sustainability, said “Testing new approaches and technologies is critical to meeting the ambitious goals of the NextGeneration NYCHA Sustainability Agenda. The successes of these pilots will be amplified by the scale of NYCHA, the nation’s largest residential landlord and public housing authority, and help establish markets for these technologies in New York City.”

Miguel A. Gamiño Jr., Chief Technology Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation, said, “New technologies play a critical role in our efforts to build a more sustainable, resilient and equitable future. We are thrilled at the high-caliber of submissions from these Calls for Innovation and look forward to seeing the winning solutions put into action. We commend NYCHA for their ongoing efforts to improve energy efficiency in buildings and bolster quality of life for all public housing residents."

Daniel Zarrilli, NYC Senior Director of Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer, said “By working together on innovative climate solutions, we are charting a course to a more just, resilient, and sustainable city. Today’s announcement highlights the importance of collaboration in successfully achieving the City’s OneNYC goals for inclusive climate action. This partnership between NYCHA and MOTI to deliver improved energy efficiency is an example of the actions we need to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and improve the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.”

Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, said “Our buildings are the single biggest contributor to NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing demand on our heating and electricity needs are key to delivering on our OneNYC goal of making New York the most sustainable big city in the world. Through this innovative call for submissions, NYCHA and MOTI are not only creating pathways to better solve energy efficiency challenges, but they are also helping spur a new green economy for all New Yorkers. We applaud them for their progressive efforts and look forward to continuing to work with them.”

Citymart Partner Julia Haselmayer said, “We are thrilled to have partnered with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation and the New York City Housing Authority on these two Calls for Innovation to help NYCHA reduce its environmental footprint and increase its operational efficiencies when it comes to heating and energy.”

NYCHA, the nation’s largest residential landlord and public housing authority, spends roughly $180 million annually on electricity and $200 million for heating and hot water. Average energy use at NYCHA developments is 40 percent higher than at typical multi-family buildings across New York City. The solutions proposed via the CFIs will enable NYCHA to learn which technologies work best, disrupt residents the least, and are the most cost-effective.

Winners were selected by a committee of technical experts from ConEd, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. The committee considered technical innovation, scalability, operational efficiency, and benefits to resident comfort. Finalists were then asked to elaborate their idea into a self-funded proposal.

CFI #1: Decreasing Electrical Demand in NYCHA’s Master-Metered Developments:

For this challenge, NYCHA sought scalable solutions for managing electrical demand and reducing the cost of electricity without infringing on residents’ control over how and when they use electric appliances. The following winner was selected:

  • H.T. Lyons/ Consolidated Energy Design (CED) - Proposal: installing smart controllers/sensors at air conditioning units to shut off the air conditioning compressor when demand on the utility grid is highest, reducing electrical demand, while keeping the unit on and residents comfortable. The team estimates that this technology can reduce energy demand of air conditioners by 40 to 60 percent when demand is highest. H.T. Lyons and Consolidated Energy Design, Inc. (CED) are engineering firms specializing in energy services.

CFI #2: Reducing the Heat Load at NYCHA Developments Connected to Con Edison’s District Steam System:

For this challenge, NYCHA sought scalable solutions for improving the efficiency (heat and hot water) of district steam developments. These developments use on average 80 percent more energy to produce hot water than other NYCHA buildings. The following winners were selected:

  • Applied Thermal Solutions/Maxi-Therm - Proposal: installing a heat exchanger system to produce domestic hot water using Con Edison high pressure steam. They estimate that this system is 20-30 percent more efficient than using conventional boilers for hot water. The system is also expected to reduce the amount of water needed to temper condensate as it leaves the building. Applied Thermal Solutions and Maxi-Therm are engineering firms specializing in steam systems.
  • Sentient Buildings - Proposal: piloting a wireless radiator valve control system in select apartments. This pilot solution automatically opens and closes the radiator valve to keep apartment temperatures in line with the residents’ desired setting. Residents can also remotely monitor and adjust the temperature settings on their thermostats. In addition to improving resident comfort through better control capabilities, all of the apartment temperatures and settings will be used to optimize central heating plant operations. The target goal is to reduce energy consumption by 3-5 percent for each degree that the building can lower its average indoor temperature. Sentient Buildings is a controls and monitoring system provider specializing in Internet of things (IoT) technologies in the built environment.

NYCHA will now work with the winners to implement the solutions as small-scale pilot projects this year. The winners will install the solutions at their own expense to demonstrate the benefits of the solution. Pilot periods will range from 3 months to 1 year. At the end of the pilot, the Authority will evaluate the impact of the technologies and successful technologies may be applied NYCHA-wide.

The Authority is aggressively pursuing new approaches and technologies that will provide better service for residents, reduce energy and costs, and curb the effects of climate change as part of its comprehensive Sustainability Agenda. The agenda, launched last year, details NYCHA’s 10-year commitments to improve resident well-being and operate as an effective and efficient landlord. In addition to the CFIs, work is underway to upgrade heating, hot water, interior and exterior lighting, and ventilation systems in buildings across the city through a series of large-scale Energy Performance Contracts and other energy programs. With these energy retrofits, NYCHA seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent over the next 10 years contributing to the NYC Carbon Challenge and OneNYC.

 
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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides decent and affordable housing in a safe and secure living environment for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs. To fulfill this mission, NYCHA must preserve its aging housing stock through timely maintenance and modernization of its developments. To learn more about NYCHA, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha. For more information on NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda, go to https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nycha/downloads/pdf/NGN-Sustainability.pdf.

 

About the Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation (MOTI)

The Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation (MOTI) facilitates citywide coordination and collaboration on technology issues, serves as a catalyst for and advises agencies on innovation, and interacts with the wider New York City technology ecosystem. The office's mission is to fulfill Mayor de Blasio's vision of making NYC the most innovative, tech-friendly, and equitable big city in the world. To learn more about New York City’s Call For Innovations program, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/cfi/html/index.html.