The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a free Energy and Water Benchmarking Initiative for Multifamily Housing properties on December 6. This new free service provides participating multifamily property owners with data on energy and water consumption at their properties.

Funded with $42.5 million through the Inflation Reduction Act, the benchmarking service is free for owners of properties participating in HUD’s Multifamily Assisted Housing programs, including Section 8 project-based rental assistance, Section 202 Housing for Low-Income Elderly, Section 811 Housing for Low-Income Persons with Disabilities, and Section 236 Preservation programs.

By participating in the initiative, property owners will receive personalized support in assessing the efficiency of their buildings for up to four years. HUD’s contractor, Leidos, will support property owners and management by contacting utilities on their behalf to access the necessary energy and water use data and providing recommendations for cost and energy savings.

The HUD Energy and Water Benchmarking Initiative may provide a variety of benefits to multifamily property owners, including:

• Receiving an annual property analysis report with usage trends and identifying opportunities for energy and water savings in your building(s)
• Establishing eligibility or preparing properties to make use of federal, state, and utility energy efficiency programs, such as HUD’s Multifamily Green and Resilient Retrofit Program and EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
• Supporting early compliance with local ordinances as more localities across the country take interest in energy usage data of multifamily properties.

Housing providers can contact MFBenchmarking@HUD.gov to opt-in to the program or get answers to benchmarking questions. Properties may also receive outreach from Leidos (HUDMFBenchmarking@leidos.com) to request property enrollment in the benchmarking initiative.

LeadingAge will host HUD guests during our regular Housing Network call on January 8 to discuss the energy benchmarking initiative. Reach out to Linda Couch or Juliana Bilowich to join the network.