Every Job Is Custom
After two decades in her century-old brick rowhouse in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, Marisol Genao was used to some quirks. When she turned the lights on in the kitchen, for example, the living room lights would flicker. Before taking a shower, she knew to wait 10 minutes for the water to heat up. And when she wanted to turn on her air conditioner, she’d have to first go to the basement to adjust the breakers.
"I needed a lot of fixing in my house," said Genao, a pharmacy technician. "My house is old and everything is expensive now."
EnergyFit: A Program to Upgrade and Retrofit Homes
In August, Genao got a reprieve as part of a program called EnergyFit, which upgraded her electric panel, installed a heat pump water heater and replaced her faulty gas stove with an induction one. They sealed the windows so that her house would stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Genao was psyched, and talked up the improvements to her colleagues. "Everybody in my job says, ‘You’re kind of funny. Some people get happy with a new car. You’re happy with a water heater,’" Genao said. "I said, ‘Guys, you don’t understand! You want to take a shower in these cold winters and you’re waiting for your water to heat up.’"
A Program to Address Disinvestment in Communities
EnergyFit, run by the Pratt Center for Community Development, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, and IMPACCT Brooklyn, aims to repair and retrofit 70 two- and three-family homes in a handful of Brooklyn neighborhoods in the span of two years. The program is funded by federal and private dollars.
"A lot of these households are in communities that have been disinvested in for a long time, where people are house-rich, cash-poor, and have fallen so far behind on maintenance that to even be able to start moving towards electrification and efficiency, you’ve got to solve these other home maintenance problems," said Rebekah Morris-Gonzalez, director of climate initiatives at Pratt.
Every Home is Unique
The EnergyFit team works as case managers to help homeowners navigate the complicated technical and bureaucratic processes, coordinate with tenants, and set them up for further upgrades down the road. "Every property requires a bespoke approach, and even if the team can’t do work on a home as part of the EnergyFit program, they refer homeowners to other resources," said Ryan Chavez, director of small homes programs at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation.
Conclusion
EnergyFit is testing a model to understand what it takes to do this kind of work, focused on small buildings. The team will be able to figure out the costs related to retrofitting these types of homes and measure carbon reductions and impacts to utility bills after a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is EnergyFit?
A: EnergyFit is a program that aims to repair and retrofit 70 two- and three-family homes in a handful of Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Q: What kind of work does EnergyFit do?
A: EnergyFit upgrades electric panels, installs heat pump water heaters, replaces gas stoves with induction ones, seals windows, and upgrades electrical panels and wiring.
Q: Is the work free of charge?
A: Yes, the work is free of charge for homeowners.
Q: What is the goal of EnergyFit?
A: The goal of EnergyFit is to reduce carbon emissions and improve the health and comfort of homeowners in disinvested communities.
