RetrofitNY was featured on “The challenge of retroffiting millions of aging homes to battle global warming,” a segment aired on August 28, 2021 by the PBS NewsHour. The segment highlighted Energiesprong, a model for retrofitting existing residential buildings using prefabricated façade panels and heatpump-based space conditioning and hot water. When combined with photovoltaic panels, the renovated homes can approach net-zero energy performance. First developed and implemented in the Netherlands, this rapid retrofit approach is spreading internationally, including to the United States, where it is being spearheaded through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) RetrofitNY program. The NewsHour spoke with NYSERDA President Doreen Harris about RetrofitNY, its Casa Passiva project in Brooklyn where two multifamily buildings are being renovated with new facades and heating and cooling systems, and the pledge signed by more than 30 other building owners representing almost 400,000 housing units.
With support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, NASEO is working with NYSERDA to help expand the approach across states to gain economies of scale and scope that will lower costs and accelerate deployment.