Climate Resilience and Decarbonization

As a community development corporation, we believe that housing justice and environmental justice go hand in hand. More than 200 academic studies have shown that fossil fuel use is associated with negative health outcomes including  asthma, heart conditions, cancer, and respiratory issues. HRI builds affordable housing with green technologies that support healthy living environments and reduced reliance on fossil fuels 

As a co-signer to the Better Climate Challenge, HRI has committed to a climate-resilient portfolio. We build all new projects to Passive House standards, with full electrification. For our existing portfolio, we pursue comprehensive rehabilitation programs that introduce the latest decarbonization strategies. 

Sustainable building technologies include fresh air ventilation, low-volatile organic compound (Low-VOC) building materials, and landscaping that reduces the concentration of urban heat. At HRI, this work continues after construction is complete. We train residents to use new energy efficient systems and provide a credit for eligible residents to receive on their electricity bill when HRI’s solar arrays produce more electricity than our buildings use. 

HRI’s commitment to the Better Climate Challenge obligates us to halve our residential portfolio greenhouse gas emissions by 2032. Since signing on in 2022, we have:

  • Installed 22 solar photovoltaic (Solar PV) installations in 2023, with another 21 installations planned. By the end of 2024, 51% of our portfolio’s 113 buildings will have solar PV.

  • Shifted from tenant-paid, gas-fired heating systems to centralized electric heat pump systems as we renovated properties.

  • Incorporated low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures in all renovations of our existing buildings.

  • Upgraded to EnergyStar appliances in all renovations of our existing buildings.

Passive House

In 2020, HRI opened the very first Passive House (PHIUS) all-affordable building in Massachusetts – 98 units at Finch Cambridge. At the time, Finch represented the forefront of low-carbon affordable housing development. Sustainability features include low parking ratios, a solar array, and mostly electric systems, with fossil fuel use limited to domestic hot water. Finch is a leading example of beautiful and efficient residential housing, and won, among other awards, the 2021 Sustainable Design Award from the Boston Society for Architecture.

PHIUS requires an airtight building envelope and continuous ventilation to ensure both energy efficiency and resident comfort. 

PASSIVE HOUSE FEATURES
Building Science

  • The building is covered with special tape to make sure there are no leaks between the outside and inside. This covering is called a vapor barrier and acts like a skin around the wood frame, keeping air and water from passing from the outside to the inside.

  • Finch uses an electric heat pump system which exchanges hot and cold air with the outside to provide efficient heating and cooling for our residents. Since the building is very well sealed to the outside, we have separate fresh air ventilation for each apartment to make sure residents have clean, fresh air in their homes.

  • Solar panels on the roof help to offset the building’s electricity usage by capturing power from the sun.

  • Special insulation, windows, and doors, act like a blanket or thermos around the building. This makes sure that the building temperature stays comfortable for our residents.

  • Each apartment acts like its own system to ensure resident comfort.

Enterprise Green Communities

In addition to Passive House, HRI certifies all new projects with Enterprise Green Communities (EGC). EGC is the only national green building framework developed explicitly with and for the affordable housing sector. Unlike other certifications, EGC includes residents of affordable housing in its requirements, with a combined emphasis on climate-friendly building practices and residents’ health. HRI uses EGC to incorporate strategies for fostering resident activity, universal design, and safety. EGC also matches HRI’s holistic thinking about building design and includes details such as construction waste disposal and building envelope airtightness.