The Costs of Decarbonizing Existing Multifamily Buildings

Existing multifamily buildings represent about 27% of all US households, and with the increased focus on equity, there is a need to develop decarbonization strategies and approaches for multifamily dwellings and buildings. While there are some technological barriers, project and construction costs currently limit the scalability and affordability of the required retrofits. To develop more affordable solutions and identify potential cost reductions, it is necessary to understand the costs associated with multifamily decarbonization and to break these costs down by individual measures, between materials, labor and overhead, and other considerations. To better understand these costs, and related energy and carbon performance, we gathered cost and energy data from over 500 multifamily energy retrofit projects across the country. This session will summarize the results of this data gathering effort, show where cost reduction efforts can be focused and what approaches can be used to reduce costs. This will provide attendees with the knowledge to make more rational decisions regarding energy retrofits for multifamily buildings.