Con Edison
HR&A developed a comprehensive strategy enabling Con Edison to significantly scale its energy efficiency investments in low- and moderate-income (LMI) multifamily housing across New York City and Westchester County. Our work delivered both immediate tactical tools to meet near-term targets and a 10-year strategic plan that positions Con Edison to achieve climate goals while directing benefits to underserved communities.
Following the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), Con Edison faced the dual challenge of driving substantial greenhouse gas reductions while ensuring at least 35% of clean energy benefits reached underserved communities. This responsibility shifted largely from public authorities to private utilities, requiring Con Edison to rapidly expand its LMI energy retrofit program with limited precedent for success at the necessary scale. The complexity of the LMI housing market—with its varied ownership structures, financing mechanisms, and regulatory frameworks—created significant barriers to implementing energy efficiency measures across thousands of buildings housing millions of residents. Con Edison needed both immediate tactical support to meet annual energy savings targets and a long-term strategy to achieve increasingly ambitious goals over the coming decade.
HR&A’s approach integrated detailed market analysis with practical implementation tools and strategic planning. We analyzed the size, distribution, and characteristics of the LMI housing market, creating a data integration tool that identified high-priority building portfolios and matched them with appropriate energy efficiency measures, through a partnership with Steven Winter Associates. This tactical support included facilitating introductions to major portfolio owners and developing targeted outreach strategies. Simultaneously, we crafted a 10-year strategic plan that modeled the scale of investment needed to meet future targets and outlined a comprehensive approach to expand Con Edison’s program reach. The strategy recommended standardizing offerings, creating new financing partnerships with LMI housing lenders, and scaling outreach efforts to achieve energy savings across tens of thousands of buildings. HR&A’s work has positioned Con Edison to meet immediate compliance requirements while establishing the infrastructure, relationships, and processes needed to deliver meaningful climate and equity impacts across New York’s diverse LMI housing stock.
- As Los Angeles Goes Green, Who Will Benefit? — Los Angeles Daily News
