Unveiling NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda
On Earth Day, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt released NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda, affirming their commitment to further the Authority’s climate goals.
The new document, which comes 10 years after NYCHA’s inaugural Sustainability Agenda, provides a comprehensive update on the Authority’s sustainability efforts and progress and outlines goals to be accomplished in the next five years.
Notably, the 2026 Sustainability Agenda outlines the next steps for expansion of the window heat pump program, transitioning 20,000 NYCHA apartments from fossil fuel heating systems to clean, efficient heating and cooling. The first homes to receive window or other packaged heat pumps through this expansion include apartments at Woodside Houses, Saint Nicholas Houses, Claremont Consolidated, and Beach 41st Street Houses – as well as 1,610 apartments at Bay View Houses and 224 apartments at Campos Plaza II, which have converted to Project-Based Section 8 through the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program. The Agenda also details plans for the installation of 10,000 electric induction stoves in apartments at developments that would have been prioritized for gas riser replacement, and 150 public electric vehicle charging stations in NYCHA parking lots, among other objectives to be achieved by 2031.
“Affordability and sustainability go hand in hand. This agenda makes clear that when we invest in public housing, we are investing in lower bills, cleaner air and healthier communities,” Mayor Mamdani said. “Across City government, we are acting with urgency to cut emissions, lower costs and deliver a greener New York for working people.”
Ms. Bova-Hiatt added: “NYCHA continues to innovate in how we modernize and manage our portfolio of properties. Our work is focused on promoting resident health and well-being by addressing priority physical needs, strengthening the reliability and efficiency of building systems, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The goals and strategies developed together with our residents, partners, and stakeholders – and laid out in our 2026 Sustainability Agenda – are central to achieving our mission and are driven by these priorities.”
NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda, titled Innovating at Scale, builds on the Authority’s longstanding efforts to develop successful methods for improving energy and water efficiency, upgrading waste management, installing climate protection measures, and initiating the development of new technologies to serve NYCHA’s need for new and cleaner building systems. It focuses on scaling the most successful elements of this work; setting out specific, quantitative targets for key pieces of work to be completed over the next five years; and ensuring that NYCHA continues to make essential investments and upgrades so that properties remain comfortable, efficient, and safe for the next generation of NYCHA residents.
“NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda – Innovating at Scale – represents an ambitious, but achievable vision for the Authority that builds on 10 years of climate action progress,” NYCHA Chief Asset and Capital Management Officer Shaan Mavani said. “We are taking what we have demonstrated to be the most effective strategies and technologies for the challenges we face and are integrating these in our capital investment programs and how we operate and maintain our properties. By harnessing new technologies, we are making our buildings more comfortable and healthier for residents, safer in major storms and other climate hazards, more efficient in their use of electricity and water, and easier to operate, while transitioning them away from fossil fuel-powered technologies.”
Specifically, the Agenda outlines nine goals to be accomplished over the next five years:
· Install heat pumps in 20,000 apartments;
· Install high-efficiency lighting and water fixtures at 45,000 apartments;
· Install induction stoves in 10,000 apartments;
· Build out modernized waste infrastructure at 144 NYCHA properties;
· Protect 146 buildings from climate-related disruptions;
· Pilot and scale up the Waste Plumbing Initiative at 15 developments;
· Provide 150 public electric vehicle charging stations in NYCHA parking lots;
· Complete NYCHA’s 30-megawatt solar goal; and
· Create economic opportunities for 1,300 NYCHA residents through NYCHA sustainability work.
Heat Pumps
NYCHA will integrate the use of packaged window heat pumps across its capital programs to reach its 20,000-apartment goal, inclusive of the initial commitment of heat pumps in 10,000 apartments under the Clean Heat for All Challenge, an innovative partnership between NYCHA, the New York State Power Authority (NYPA) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to catalyze the private sector to create a packaged heat pump that could be installed in window openings. Heat pumps run on electricity to heat and cool individual apartments and achieve major energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. They allow residents to set the temperature in their own apartments and provide access to cooling, which is typically only available to residents who purchase their own air conditioning units. Additionally, heat pump systems allow NYCHA to decrease its dependence on boiler rooms that are vulnerable to flooding, an important feature as increased areas of stormwater and coastal flood vulnerability affect more NYCHA buildings.
Going forward, when NYCHA allocates federal, State, or City capital funding to a new heating system, integrating window heat pumps will be a priority. NYCHA aims to install heat pumps in 9,000 Section 9 apartments and 11,000 apartments at Project-Based Section 8 conversion sites, such as PACT developments, replacing existing, inefficient heating systems. Each of the 20,000 apartments will receive one or more heat pumps, depending on apartment size. Along with the heat pumps for heating and cooling, NYCHA will also target replacing windows at each development to improve insulation and energy efficiency, and will renovate the domestic hot water system with heat pump-based solutions.
Induction Stoves
NYCHA will install induction stoves in 10,000 apartments at developments that would be prioritized for gas riser replacement, including 7,500 in Section 9 apartments and 2,500 in Project-Based Section 8 conversion apartments. Induction stoves are similar to electric resistance stoves in the use of a heating coil instead of an open flame but use electromagnetic fields to heat cookware directly — and very quickly — rather than heating cooktop surfaces first. These stoves only create heat when in contact with cookware and thus do not waste heat or produce the emissions created from gas combustion, which will improve energy efficiency and air quality for residents. Using a similar model to the Clean Heat for All Challenge, NYCHA partnered with NYSERDA and NYPA through the Induction Stove Challenge to signal the market to create induction stoves capable of being installed in older buildings without the invasive and costly electrical upgrade from 120 volts to 240 volts that is typically required for induction stoves.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
The Authority used the information and industry insights received through a 2025 request for information to assess ideas for how electric vehicle (EV) charging could be implemented on NYCHA campuses to shape a solicitation, releasing in spring 2026, for proposals from partners who want to own and operate EV charging stations at NYCHA properties. The Authority’s portfolio includes more than 100 off-street parking facilities with many unpermitted spaces, which the Authority believes can play a unique role in supporting the expansion of EV charging infrastructure in New York City. This can help meet the existing demand for EV charging and spur future adoption of EVs by NYCHA and non-NYCHA residents, both of which are critical for meeting the City and State’s goals for transportation electrification, air quality, and equitable access to clean energy technology. The goal will result in 150 EV charging stations at Section 9 properties. PACT partners are also encouraged to incorporate EV charging into their projects.
NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda, Innovating at Scale, and additional information on the Authority’s sustainability efforts are available here.
Featured photo caption: NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Earth Day to announce the release of NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda. (courtesy of Ed Reed, Mayor’s Photography Office)