EZ Retrofit – A Free, Simple Way to Save Energy!

Washington, D.C. – Monday, February 1, 2016 – Almost two years after the initial launch, Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) is pleased to announce the release of EZ Retrofit 3.0!

EZ Retrofit is a free, do-it-yourself, excel-based audit tool that addresses cost and complexity concerns typically associated with traditional third party audits. It was developed by SAHF in collaboration with ICF International and Bright Power, Inc.

Rebecca Schaaf, the Senior Vice President of Energy at SAHF stated that “Opportunities exist for nearly every building to save energy and water, but it’s not always worth it to pay for an audit. EZ Retrofit gives owners a detailed analysis specific to their building to help them select upgrades and start saving.”

EZ Retrofit provides owners and managers with an easy way to identify cost-effective energy and water efficiency upgrades specific to their building. It enables owners to customize a retrofit scope for their individual property. After running EZ Retrofit, owners can integrate changes that can:

– Reduce energy and water consumption and costs
– Increase property efficiency
– Reduce maintenance and extend equipment life
– Improve indoor air quality and tenant comfort
– Attract and retain tenants

A costs analysis of 32 multifamily was conducted by SAHF using the EZ Retrofit tool. The median projected energy and water cost savings from SAHF’s analysis were $338/unit/year. This is generally comparable with other recent studies of national multifamily programs, including an analysis of 179 multifamily properties which participated in HUD’s Green Retrofit Program (GRP). Results from HUD analysis indicated actual first year savings of $308/unit/year from energy and water upgrades*.

Since the release of EZ Retrofit, property owners and auditors have applied it to more than 4500 affordable housing units across the U.S. Owners of multifamily buildings who apply recommendations produced by EZ Retrofit, stand to reap substantial cost savings.

“EZ Retrofit not only provides valuable recommendations, but also offers fast results at no cost, with little disruption to the property.” stated Dennis Hidalgo, Energy & Sustainability Manager, Volunteers of America. He added, “Plus, it’s a great tool for comparing cost and energy savings quoted by contractors. We’ve already identified other properties where EZ Retrofit will be helpful in identifying opportunities for savings.”

*Reference: “Energy and Water Savings in Multifamily Retrofits,” SAHF/ Bright Power, 2014

Interested in Learning How the EZ Retrofit Can Help You Save Money?
Join SAHF on February 18th for the EZ Retrofit 3.0 Webinar
Register Today!