Andover Receives Clean Energy Innovations Grant for Public Housing

The Town of Andover received a $360,740 Energy Futures Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Energy Future Grants provide financial and technical assistance to support cross-municipality partnerships that advance innovative programs to support an equitable transition to clean energy. In total DOE announced $27 million in financial and technical assistance to 31 local governments, 7 states and 2 tribes.

Andover’s grant will benefit housing authorities in Andover, Lowell and Methuen. Andover’s Director of Sustainability and Energy, Joyce Losick-Yang, led the effort to develop the grant. The work is anticipated to take 15 months.

The focus of the grant is on understanding clean energy innovation needs in public housing. Residents in public housing in Andover, Methuen and Lowell will be interviewed at the start of the project to share their energy concerns. These energy concerns may be excessive heat, cold winter drafts, maintaining a hot water system, high energy costs or anything else pertinent to energy needs.

“This is a great opportunity to understand residents’ needs and how clean energy solutions can meet those needs,” shared Kate Margolese who works with both Andover Community Trust on affordable housing and Losick-Yang on climate action. “We need to improve our affordable housing. We need to identify clean energy solutions that can create healthier, more comfortable homes and reduce energy burdens for residents in pubic housing.”

Building and energy systems solutions will be identified. The solutions will be published in a playbook that may include specific retrofits, building operator training, new weatherization for building.

In addition to the energy managers and housing authorities in each town, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission are key project participants.