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Spatial Analysis Project:

The proposed spatial analysis project would support efforts to increase awareness of energy-efficiency opportunities for consumers and for large multifamily property owners.

There are national and local efforts underway to increase awareness about the value of energy efficiency improvements, to increase access to funding for energy efficiency improvements, and to help induce property owners to take steps to improve the energy-efficiency of their property. RHLS, through its role as a founder of the Philadelphia Weatherization and Conservation Collaborative (PWCC), has been working to address these issues locally.The PWCC is a public and private collaborative of over 25 organizations, including RHLS, the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, various public and private owners and operators of multifamily affordable housing, local and state governmental agencies, and several utilities.

The PWCC brings together practitioners, administrators, and advocates on a quarterly basis to identify opportunities to increase weatherization and retrofit opportunities for affordable housing and in lowincome communities. The PWCC’s work currently focuses on: 1) increasing energy-efficiency in affordable multifamily properties in Pennsylvania; and 2) increasing the scale of weatherization activity in affordable multifamily housing and in low-income communities.

Currently, there are a variety of different programs and funding sources for property owners looking to increase energy-efficiency. Thus, people in different circumstances will need information about different kinds of programs.

One approach to addressing energy-efficiency work is to bundle smaller projects together into larger projects that would create efficiencies of scale which would provide savings to property owners. This pooling also should provide a pool large enough for funders to get involved. Currently, there is a challenge in accessing funding for this work due to the small size of the typical loan.

One of the most promising ways to address the bundling issue is to geographically target the work. Geographic targeting (block-by-block approach) helps to capture economies of scale, provides exposure to residents, and makes it easier to perform outreach. This spatial analysis project would help us determine which specific geographic areas are best suited for different incentives/funding-types and to understand which types of outreach are best suited for those areas.

Data available:

• information about subsidized multifamily properties (publicly available from HUD, additional more up-to-date information may be available through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA))
• information about housing cost burdens, repair expenses, age of home, utility types, etc. are available through the US Census or the American Community Survey or American Housing Survey
• information about applicants to a subsidized weatherization program from PHFA should be available from PHFA
• information about utility use may be available from PECO, PGW, and/or Philadelphia Water Department

Maps and Reports that will be created:

1. maps showing areas that are likely to have the most significant need for energy-efficiency improvements (older homes, lower incomes, lower reported repairs, higher utility bills, etc.)
2. maps showing areas where homeowners are likely to qualify for various existing weatherization programs (including color-coding to indicate where people will likely need all free resources, where they could likely afford a small loan, where they could afford larger loans, gaps in current product coverage).
3. a report, bolstered by statistics and maps, that identifies several areas in Philadelphia that are good initial targets for trying to increase awareness and update of energy-efficiency measures on a “block-by-block” basis.

How the maps and reports will be used:

The maps and reports will be shared with PWCC partners, through the RHLS website and other promotional materials, partners, and funders, as appropriate. The goal will be to generate discussion and then resources to invest in kickstarting geographically concentrated energy-efficiency improvements that will allow help people have more affordable, comfortable homes.