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This program aims to engage the community, overcome barriers to participation, leverage local resources, and develop innovative financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency in multifamily buildings in Cambridge.
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Ryan Cook Caroline Howe Adi Nochur Sophie PanDara Yaskil March 22, 2013 CAMBRIDGE MULTIFAMILY PILOT DESIGN: STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGEMENT, OUTREACH, AND FINANCING
Program Parameters: Engagement and Outreach How can we design a pilot program that… • Facilitates conversation about energy efficiency? • Takes advantage of local organizations, social networks, and institutional resources? • Leverages energy data as a resource in engaging the community?
Program Parameters: Project Financing How can we design a pilot program that… • Incentivizes residents and landlords to encourage each other to adopt energy efficiency (overcomes split incentive barrier)? • Reduces or removes the up-front cost paid by building owners and residents? • Leverages outside funding streams to bring a program to scale?
Organizing Strategies: Amplifying Local Success Stories Problem • Residents and owners are skeptical about the return on investment of efficiency work • Residents don't have incentives to share their stories or encourage participation of neighbors Potential Solutions • Advertise and amplify local success stories • Work with HEET and NStar to identify previous participants willing to act as success stories • Work with realtors and listing services to track and advertise homes that have had retrofits • Organize tours of efficient homes or retrofit visits • Incentivize partners to recruit neighbors (potential for participation-based incentives similar to Solarize)
Organizing Strategies: Empowering Energy Champions Problem • The primary beneficiary of energy efficiency (residents) often have difficulty gaining the support of landlords and condo owners who must approve of any home improvement Potential Solutions • Target renters and condo owners to conduct their own audits, and give them customized resources to bring to their landlords/condo boards • Pro-forma resulting from audit • Comparison to energy costs in rest of neighborhood
Organizing Strategies: Using Local Strengths and Institutions Problem • Cambridge has powerful institutional actors that have been slow to act on efficiency Potential Solutions • Work with.. • Faith groups, churches and CDCs to distribute information • MIT and Harvard housing offices to track and advertise homes with low energy costs as a service to students • Landlords who have completed retrofits/interested in efficiency to promote savings and engage other landlords • Local realtors to promote energy efficient homes • Local banks to develop and realize sensible financing strategies • Energy efficiency companies to create a system that works with landlords throughout the entire retrofit process
Organizing Strategies: Leveraging Energy Data Problem • Access to energy information is poor, problematic for current and prospective residents Potential Solutions • Discuss use of potential energy data products with stakeholders • Map, home energy reports, publicizing success stories, raw data warehouse • Chart strategies for data collection mechanisms • Potential avenues for utility disclosure • Voluntary disclosure through community-based social marketing
Financing Strategies: Employing Innovative Financing Mechanisms Problem • Even with Mass Save incentives retrofits can entail a substantial up-front cost • Split incentives between landlords and tenants prevents energy efficiency uptake Potential Solutions • Employ new financing mechanisms to address barriers: • On-Bill Financing attached to meter • PACE Financing • Community-Based Energy Revolving Loan Funds • Green Leases
Financing Strategies: Leveraging Additional Funding Streams Problem • Utility ratepayer funds alone are not always sufficient to bring energy efficiency programs to scale Potential Solutions • Partner with financial institutions and investigate alternate sources of capital • Create fund structures that pool ratepayer funds with other revenue streams and ensure recapitalization • Consider designating a third-party fund manager
Questions for NStar and CSG • Would it be possible to conduct outreach to previous program participants through NStar and CSG, asking if they would like to be used as success stories in a local pilot? • Would NStar be willing to share aggregate energy data for multifamily buildings in Cambridge? • Could new financing mechanisms be part of a pilot program in Cambridge? What are the barriers to implementing these mechanisms and how might they be addressed? • How can we effectively use energy data to make the case for energy efficiency financing?