The Green Ribbon Commission invited members of its Cultural Institutions and Commercial Real Estate Working Group to join the Mayor’s Office of Housing for a tour of a Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) project at the Hano Homes affordable housing development in Allston to understand the elements required to reduce energy usage and achieve a net-zero building.
The tour throughout the 20-unit housing building, managed by the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (ABCDC), covered the critical elements of a deep energy retrofit, including interior renovations like electric HVAC systems and fresh air systems, and exterior improvements to the building’s envelope to reduce energy loss and lower energy costs. The property is projected to see a 70% reduction in energy use, and with the addition of rooftop solar panels, will meet net-zero energy use upon its completion in May 2025.
The result is a building that is healthier for residents, significantly lowers carbon emissions, and, over time, is less expensive to operate.
These types of decarbonization modifications are what it takes if property owners intend to meet the City of Boston’s BERDO requirements and the City’s goals of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Originally built in 1888 and converted into affordable housing in 1988, Hano Homes is an island of affordability in a rapidly gentrifying area, ensuring that residents most affected by the impacts of climate change are provided a healthy environment to live. Through this project, ABCDC hopes to act as a model to show how projects can achieve significant energy and emissions reductions. A typical DER project may include electrification of heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, a new highly insulated building envelope, new windows, the use of carbon storing materials, and the addition of on-site renewable energy. In December 2024, the Healey administration awarded $16 million to decarbonize affordable housing across the state, under the administration’s Climate Ready Housing program.
Through convenings and educational tours with our working groups – including commercial real estate, higher education, and cultural institutions working groups – the Green Ribbon Commission supports Boston’s biggest property owners and developers in establishing and executing strategies for achieving Boston’s climate goals on the decarbonization and increased resilience of the built environment.
Learn more about our carbon mitigation policy advocacy and other GRC initiatives: https://greenribboncommission.org/action/#initiatives