NYCHA Makes Progress Toward Sustainability Goals
A Variety of Programs, Including Cleat Heat for All and ACCESSolar, Are Improving Residents’ Quality of Life While Contributing to City’s Sustainability Efforts
On May 8, NYCHA announced recent progress toward its sustainability goals through a variety of programs, as detailed in the 2025 edition of its annual progress report for the Sustainability Agenda. This includes the completion of the first demonstration phase for NYCHA’s Clean Heat for All program, which utilized cold climate packaged heat pumps from two manufacturers in 24 apartments at Woodside Houses. Completed in June 2024, the pilot demonstration showed promising results and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from residents. The second demonstration is expected to conclude this fall. With an additional 1.5 megawatts (MW) of solar power installed on NYCHA rooftops in 2024, the Authority also continues to scale its community shared solar program, Accelerating Community Empowered Shared Solar (ACCESSolar), for a total of 6.8 MW, increasing the amount of renewable energy produced in New York City and contributing to the City’s target to install 1,000 MW of solar by 2030.
“Since the release of the Sustainability Agenda in 2021, NYCHA has charted a course for creating more energy-efficient and resilient homes, buildings, and campuses for our residents,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Through a variety of programs and initiatives, the Authority continues to advance our commitment to combating the climate crisis while addressing quality of life issues for NYCHA residents, as evidenced through the success of programs like the Clean Heat for All program, which received stellar reviews from residents during the pilot demonstration. We look forward to continuing to make progress in these critical focus areas, and our contributions to New York City’s broader sustainability goals, in the years to come.”
“NYCHA, the largest public housing authority in North America, is a leader in the fight against climate change in New York City and is making significant progress through a number of pivotal programs and initiatives,” said NYCHA Chief Asset & Capital Management Officer Shaan Mavani. “Through the ACCESSolar program, we’re generating solar energy on NYCHA rooftops and creating green jobs for NYCHA residents; and through the Clean Heat for All program, we are improving heat and cooling service for residents with less energy and lower costs while catalyzing a significant market transformation. We’re thankful to our partners on these, and all of our sustainability programs, for their dedication to creating a greener, more resilient NYCHA.”
“NYCHA’s Sustainability team is proud to deliver on commitments made in our 2021 Sustainability Agenda, including moving Clean Heat for All past the pilot phase and into deployment, expanding our installations of community shared solar arrays, and bringing new waste infrastructure into service,” said NYCHA Energy & Sustainability Programs Senior Director Siobhan Watson. “As NYCHA continues to build sustainability and resiliency into its capital work, we look forward to enabling more residents to experience improvements to their buildings’ efficiency and comfort, and we are committed to continuing to expand green resident employment opportunities.”
The Clean Heat for All program — a partnership between NYCHA and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) — completed its initial demonstration in June 2024, with the heat pump units showing promising results. Temperature sensor data showed that pilot apartments with heat pumps maintained more consistent and comfortable temperatures during the winter, compared to control apartments with a standard steam system. The units have been able to maintain their set point temperatures amidst the coldest outdoor temperatures of the heating season while lowering the energy used to provide heat. Resident response to the new heat pumps has been overwhelmingly positive, with 89 percent of residents who received heat pumps reporting satisfaction with the new units. Early results, averaged across two heat pump manufacturers, show an 86 percent decrease in energy required for space heating. Results also indicated a 50 percent decrease in heating energy costs, substantial savings despite the higher cost of electricity relative to gas.
The Clean Heat for All program was launched in 2021 with the goal of engaging HVAC and appliance manufacturers to develop a unitary, packaged cold climate heat pump that’s capable of being easily installed through an existing window, runs on 120 VAC and requires little or no electric upgrades, and can better serve the needs of existing multifamily buildings while hastening the transition to fossil-free heating sources. The Authority is preparing to scale up Clean Heat for All with a full-building installation at Woodside Houses, to be completed prior to the 2025-2026 heating season and before expanding the program to the remaining buildings in the development. NYCHA is currently conducting electrification studies to assess property needs for future installations.
“The heat pumps developed under the Clean Heat for All Challenge have slashed energy costs for NYCHA, providing an innovative and efficient solution to reliably heat and cool residences,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “The Clean Heat for All program is an example of a successful City and State collaboration that directly supports our shared vision to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers through thoughtful and affordable solutions that promote sustainability and energy efficiency.”
“The success of the NYCHA Clean Heat for All pilot in the Woodside Houses community demonstrates how cold climate packaged window heat pumps can improve the quality of life for residents and serves as the beginning of what we hope to be a widespread adoption of these sustainable heating and cooling solutions,” said NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “NYSERDA will continue to work with our partners at NYCHA and NYPA to deliver meaningful benefits to underserved New Yorkers while accelerating progress in the growing clean energy economy.”
NYCHA also continues to scale ACCESSolar, its community shared solar program, with the construction of 1.5 MW of community shared solar completed at four sites (New Lane, Parkside, Pink, and Richmond Terrace) in 2024, for a total of 6.8 MW installed to date. An additional 12.5 MW of solar is in design or under construction, with 5 MW of solar awarded, pending lease signature.
The ACCESSolar initiative benefits NYCHA residents by providing green jobs and training opportunities across a large solar portfolio; generating a steady source of revenue for the development’s operations budget; increasing New York City’s electricity generation from clean sources to reduce carbon emissions; and providing electric utility savings for NYCHA residents who pay utility bills, Section 8 voucher holders, and other low- to moderate-income New Yorkers. Solar leases signed from 2024 through January 2025 will add 28 hires and over 50 training opportunities for NYCHA residents, exceeding the original commitment. Approximately 174 NYCHA residents (56 hires and 118 trainees) will be employed or trained to support the solar leases moving into construction in 2025, primarily as solar installers. Residents will go through training programs to gain their Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 30-hour and Site Safety Training certification along with foundational knowledge about solar photovoltaic technology, electrical safety, and construction.
NYCHA’s recent sustainability progress also includes the installation of geothermal wells and associated heat pumps for domestic hot water at Eastchester and Jackson Houses; the start of waste collection through the newly constructed pneumatic system at Polo Grounds Towers, which is expected to achieve substantial completion this summer; and the completion of redesigned waste yards incorporating augers for trash and bulk waste and enclosed storage for recycling at LaGuardia, Marcy, 303 Vernon, Webster, Morris, East 180th Street, and Jackson Houses. As of April 2025, NYCHA has also initiated $30 million of work through the New York State Weatherization Assistance Program since the collaboration began in 2016, improving the air quality, energy efficiency, and thermal comfort in resident apartments through ventilation improvements, heating and hot water upgrades, window repairs and replacements, lighting replacements, and other measures. These and other highlights are detailed in the 2025 Progress Report on NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda.
NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda, released in 2021, was informed by 10 months of engagement with NYCHA residents, City agencies, community-based organizations, and technical experts.