Savings for Multifamily Buildings

Two people walking down a sidewalk on a residential street.

Savings for Market-Rate Multifamily Buildings

You may qualify for energy-saving measures that could bring down costs in your building.

Submit an Interest Form

These upgrades use less energy, which in effect, reduces costs, protects the environment, and lessens the strain on our grids.

Through our authorized contractor, Willdan Energy Solutions, apply for:

Financial incentives for approved equipment upgrades
Free LEDs and low-flow devices for eligible building residents

Installed Measures and Incentive Offers for:

Gas Customers
Electric Customers

How to start your upgrade:

Using the infographic, identify all the different areas of your building where you could make energy efficient upgrades.
Submit an interest form to be contacted by Willdan Energy Solutions. Willdan will provide you with information about incentives you qualify for and how you can apply for them.
Review and choose from the list of participating contractors who are eligible to install your upgrades. See Participating Contractors.

Market Rate or Affordable?

We offer incentives for approved equipment upgrades that could make your property more energy efficient. All qualifying buildings are eligible for Market Rate Incentives, while Affordable Incentives are offered to buildings developed and maintained as affordable housing with supportive documentation.

See the areas in your multifamily building where we offer incentives to help you make energy efficiency upgrades.

An outline of a building displaying items within a large building which have measures available.

1. Heating and Cooling
Electric Measure(s): Chiller plant optimization, building management system upgrade, elevator modernization, and other non-prescriptive incentive measures.

Gas Measure(s): Zone control valves, mechanical ventilation, one-pipe steam or two-pipe steam retro-commissioning (market rate), and other non-prescriptive incentive measures.
2. Master Air Vent
Gas Measure: Improve steam heating system efficiency and occupant comfort.

What is it? Without master vents, air blockages in pipes prevent steam from reaching radiators quickly and evenly. This causes some apartments within a multifamily building to get too hot, while others aren’t warm enough. The installation of master vents on steam mains and vents on the tops of risers in steam heated buildings forces excess air out of the distribution system, which then allows steam to reach the radiators more quickly and evenly and improves occupant comfort.

What is required? Proper master and riser venting on all pipes.one-pipe or two-pipe steam heated building on a firm gas rate. Requires one-pipe or two-pipe steam system retro-commissioning measure participation.
3. Air Source Heat Pump
Electric and Gas Measure: Save year-round on heating and cooling costs by upgrading to an air source heat pump.

What is it? When properly installed, an air source heat pump can deliver one and a half to three times more heat energy to a home than the electrical energy it consumes. This is possible because a heat pump moves heat rather than converting it from a fuel like combustion heating systems do.

What is required? An air source heat pump may consist of a single-package unit or an outdoor unit and one or more indoor units, including multi-head mini-split systems. The baseline case for the purposes of applying for incentives shall be minimally code compliant equipment of the same type and capacity as in the efficient case, which shall be sized in accordance with federal, state, and local energy conservation code.
4. Thermostatic Radiator Valves
Gas Measure: Improve steam heating system efficiency and occupant comfort.

What is it? Self-regulating valves that can provide room temperature control to tenants by allowing them to modulate air venting out of the radiator.

What is required? For tenant radiator and convector units in one-pipe or two-pipe steam heated buildings on a firm gas rate. Up to four per unit. Requires one-pipe or two-pipe steam system retro-commissioning measure participation.
5. One- and Two-Pipe Steam Radiators
Gas Measure: Improve steam heating system efficiency and occupant comfort.

What is it? Depending on the system type, there are a number of ways to balance the system and even out distribution: for one-pipe steam, venting is primary means. Two-pipe systems can often benefit from properly sized orifices and correcting faulty steam traps.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. Steam radiator upgrades include: installation of master vents on steam mains as well as installation of vents to the tops of steam risers; installation of thermostatic radiator valves on tenant radiators; boiler clean and tune-up; and steam trap repair for customers with two-pipe steam distribution systems.
6. Pipe Insulation
Gas Measure: Insulating pipes can save energy, maintenance, and heating costs.

What is it? Fiberglass or rigid foam insulation on space heating (hot water or steam) and domestic hot water distribution systems.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. <2' or >2" fiberglass insulation or rigid foam on piping with a nominal diameter between 0.75' and 8".
7. Storage Tank Water Heaters
Gas Measure: New, efficient water heaters can save energy, maintenance, and heating costs.

What is it? Fiberglass or rigid foam insulation on space heating (hot water or steam) and domestic hot water distribution systems.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. <2' or >2" fiberglass insulation or rigid foam on piping with a nominal diameter between 0.75' and 8".
8. Condensing Hot Water Boilers
Gas Measure: Efficient boilers can save energy, maintenance, and heating costs.

What is it? High-efficiency condensing hot water boilers condense water vapor in exhaust gases and recover latent heat which would otherwise have been wasted. Covers boilers tied to an indirect domestic hot water system using a coil and storage tank.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. Et or AFUE 92% minimum efficiency for boilers up to 5,000 MBH. (Custom incentive rates apply for boilers >5,000 MBH.)
9. High-Efficiency Hot Water Boilers
Gas Measure: Efficient boilers can save energy, maintenance, and heating costs.

What is it? High-efficiency hydronic boilers tied to an indirect domestic hot water system using a coil and storage tank.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. Et or AFUE 87% minimum efficiency for boilers up to 5,000 MBH. (Custom incentive rates apply for boilers >5,000 MBH.)
10. Energy Management Systems
Gas Measure: Optimize heating plant operations by using a monitoring system.

What is it? Wi-Fi-enabled system to control and monitor energy consuming devices remotely. Boiler control system with multiple temperature sensors for the steam or water lines, flue gas, and indoor air, and remote system monitoring capability.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate over 10 units. Control must be a technology upgrade over the existing control method. No monitoring service agreement is required. Recommended for EMS to be DR-enabled for both heating and DHW. Must include temperature sensors for stack, DHW supply, outdoor weather, heating water supply, or return and condensate (steam), as well as a minimum of 25% of apartments.
11. Air Sealing Measure
Gas Measure: Reduce energy and heat loss by plugging up gaps and sealing cracks.

What is it? Air sealing reduces air and thermal leakage from exterior to interior spaces, requiring less mechanical effort to regulate interior spaces.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. Air sealing package will include repair and weather sealing of louver vents, exterior doors, common area windows, and the general basement’s perimeter.
12. Wi-Fi Thermostat
Electric Measure: Improve zone heating and cooling control to increase occupant comfort.

What is it? Wi-Fi communicating thermostats without behavioral learning capability applied to multifamily residential air conditioners, heat pumps, boilers, furnaces, and electric resistance baseboard heating systems. Allow set point adjustment via remote application.

What is required? Wi-Fi enabled thermostat installed in apartments and common areas. For master metered buildings only.
13. Faucet Aerators
Gas Measure: Save both energy and water.

What is it? Low-flow faucet aerator adhering to federal, state and regional regulations for gallons per minute flow-rate. With less water used, less water needs to be heated, saving both energy and water.

What is required? Up to four per unit, 1.5 GPM installed in kitchen, and 1 GPM installed in bathroom.
14. Showerheads
Gas Measure: Save both energy and water.

What is it? Low-flow showerheads adhering to federal, state, and regional regulations for gallons per minute flow-rate. With less water used, less water needs to be heated, saving both energy and water.

What is required? Up to two per unit,1.5 GPM installed in bathroom.
15. Lighting Controls
Electric Measure: Save electricity by installing a system that automatically controls lights and reduces unnecessary use.

What is it? Hardwired bi-level stairwell fixtures (LED) and occupancy sensors—infrared, ultrasonic, and high-frequency.

What is required? UL listed sensor, must be from a manufacturer whose components are listed as DLC Network Lighting Controls QPL.
16. LED Lighting
Electric Measure: Once of the most effective ways to reduce electricity bills and energy use.

What is it? Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), convert energy into light, and are more efficient than incandescent and CFL bulbs. LEDs, especially ENERGY STAR–rated products, use at less energy, and last longer than incandescent lighting. The payback is typically less than 1.5 years.

What is required? Includes LED tube lamps, new interior and exterior fixtures (including bi-level fixtures), re-lamp and re-ballast, retrofit kits, and exit signs. Products must be Energy Star or DLC-listed.
17. Building Envelope
Gas Measure: Save energy on annual heating and cooling costs, and increase occupant comfort.

What is it? Installation of wall and ceiling insulation to reduce thermal conductance of the building envelope. Energy and demand savings are realized through reductions to the building’s heating and cooling loads.

What is required? For buildings on a firm gas rate. Must meet NYSECC code minimums. This measure is only applicable as retrofit to an existing multifamily building and excludes gut rehab projects, which shall be considered new construction. Roof and wall insulation: R-11, R-19, and R38 added.