Boston Owner Makes Use of Energy Audits
By Caitlin Jones
1 min read
Tax Credit Advisor, July 2009: Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Boston, MA-based affordable housing developer and owner, used energy audits performed by Bright Power, Inc. to obtain funds for energy improvements to three of its existing developments in the Boston area.
The impetus was a funding initiative of the Massachusetts Technological Collaborative (MTC).
POAH development advisor Rodger Brown identified several properties as candidates for MTC grants: Bridal Path, a 132-unit senior housing complex in Randolph; and Fair Weather, a 121-unit project in Salem. POAH received a $10,000 grant to pay for an energy audit of Bridal Path, and a subsequent $390,000 grant to help pay for installation of a 40-kilowat solar photovoltaic system. Fair Weather is adjacent to another POAH development that is seeking to build a $2.1 million, 650-kilowat wind turbine to generate power for both of the properties. An initial $50,000 grant is funding the feasibility study; another grant will be sought to help cover the cost of the wind turbine.
“The energy audit showed the improvement we wanted to make was feasible, would produce a substantial energy savings, and thus fit neatly into the parameters of the MTC initiative,” Brown said.
– James T. Berger
