The Green Initiatives session provided useful information to multi-family property managers interested in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resource conservation. The focus was upon the new federal incentive and stimulus programs. Additionally, the panel discussed practical cost-effective green design and maintenance practices.

Moderator:

Mary Sheehy-Green Homes Administrator, NJHMFA
Mary Sheehy is the Green Homes Administrator at NJHMFA, where she develops and administers the NJ Green Homes Office, including solar photovoltaic funding, energy audits and retrofits, green building project review, and the new ARRA stimulus programs. Ms. Sheehy received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Houston's Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. She worked in St. Louis for Energy Solutions Incorporated, an architectural company that specializes in retrofitting public buildings to be more energy efficient. Since then, she worked part-time for several community groups and affordable housing developers while completing a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University in 2006.

Speakers:

Karen Blumenfeld-Executive Director, Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy (GASP)
Karen Blumenfeld is the Executive Director of Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy (GASP), and director of GASP's Policy and Legal Resource Center. GASP is a 35-year old, New Jersey based non-profit that educates policymakers, the business community, and the public-at-large on smokefree policies, especially emerging trends such as smokefree multi-unit housing initiatives. GASP provides technical assistance and resource materials on smokefree housing. Ms. Blumenfeld received her law degree from the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in New York City and her B.A. in Economics from Drew University.

Margaret (Peg) Gallos-Senior Energy Policy Advisor, NJ Board of Public Utilities
Peg Gallos is a senior energy policy advisor at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, where she has worked as a communications manager and speechwriter. She is one of two staff leads on the BPU American Recovery and Reinvestment Act team, and for two years was a member of the BPU team working with the Governor's Office to develop the state's Energy Master Plan. She has a Bachelor's Degree in English from New York University, a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University-Newark, and was a Graduate Fellow in 2005 at the Eagleton School of Politics.

John Mackey-Principal, Reznick Group, P.C.
John Mackey is a recognized leader in the affordable housing industry and has more than 31 years of accounting and business advisory experience. He has a wealth of experience in long-range planning, structuring new real estate transactions, and helping to realize value from older properties. At Reznick Group, Mr. Mackey works closely with both established and new clients, focusing on transactional consulting and long-range planning. With extensive experience in structuring low-income housing, historic and new markets tax credit transactions, Mr. Mackey has worked on hundreds of low-income tax credit transactions and helped developers resolve countless issues. He is a graduate of Western New England College with a B.S. in Accounting.

 

This session provided updates on the New Jersey Solar Photovoltaic market.  The training was geared towards anyone interested in solar photovoltaic programs, financing, tools and real-life experiences. The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 is providing monies for new stimulus programs (Solar Funding Pilot) and for an expansion and modification of the Federal Renewable Energy Tax Credit / now Grant Program.  In addition, Atlantic City Electric (ACE) and Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) have launched new long-term SREC contract opportunities.  Featured speakers were:

• Lenore Rosner, Chief of Operations at NJHMFA - provided information on her experiences trading on the open SREC market & information on how NJHMFA specifically, is maintaining and monitoring a 103 kW Solar PV System.
• Mary Sheehy, Green Homes Administrator at NJHMFA - briefly presented the upcoming ARRA Solar Funding Pilot.
• Gene Meehan, Senior Vice President from NERA - NERA serves as the Solicitation Manager for the ACE and JCP&L SREC-Based Financing Program, a new way to finance solar PV installations. More information HERE.
• Stefan Kershow, Reznick Group, P.C. - provided more guidance and information on the Federal Renewable Energy Grant Program.

 

This event introduced new Multifamily Energy Programs available through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and other economic stimulus initiatives. The program consisted of detailed informational sessions about new and existing energy loans, incentives and grants as well as a Pay for Performance Fair where you can speak with professionals qualified to lead you through the NJ Clean Energy Program's 'Pay for Performance' program. Marge DellaVecchia, Executive Director of the NJ Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency welcomed attendees and introduced NJBPU President Jeanne Fox, the keynote speaker.  NJHMFA, the NJ Department of Community Affairs and the NJ Board of Public Utilites have been working together to provide a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy financial incentives and new programs.  For information on NJHMFA's new programs in partnership with DCA and BPU, click HERE. 

Green Homes Coordinator, Gabriel Nathanson, conducted a review of the various sources of ARRA funding and gave an overview of NJHMFA's new programs.  NJHMFA Director of Property Management, Robert Sasso, and NJHMFA Director of Multifamily Preservation Lending, John Murray, provided more details on program eligibility requirements and application process.  Mary Sheehy, Green Homes Administrator, provided a more detailed review of the Solar Funding Pilot and NJHMFA's Energy Benchmarking initiative.  After a break for lunch and for attendees to visit the Pay for Performance fair; the afternoon speakers provided more insight into a range of programs available to multifamily building owners. 

Joe Carlamere, NJ Clean Energy Program, provided details on the incentives and process for the Pay for Performance program.  Richard Pace, HUD, provided exciting news on a possible future green building financing initiative.  Walter Sparrow-Hood, PSE&G, provided information on PSE&G's upcoming multifamily energy efficiency program - which includes a subsidy, 0% financing for a range of measures and is available to all multifamily building owners.  Clarice Sabree, DCA, provided an overview of the Weatherization Assistance Program and further information on the multifamily portion of the program.  Overall, it was a very informative and exciting conference - where a range of energy efficiency and renewable energy financial programs were presented.

 

This session was geared towards developers looking to build sustainably in Newark.  Presentations were provided by Mike Meyer, from the City of Newark; Mary Sheehy, NJ Green Homes Administrator at NJHMFA; Jon Jensen, MaGrann Associates; and Geno Schiavo, Principal Architect from Kitchen & Associates.  Mike Meyer introduced Newark's incentives and policy directions focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and green building.  Mary Sheehy presented the basics of green building, described and provided online resources and guidance & explained how the NJ Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency has implemented and encouraged sustainable design.  Jon Jensen followed with in-depth presentations on the similarities, differences and specific measures of the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification program, the ANSI Green Building Standard encouraged by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the U.S. EPA's ENERGY STAR Certification program.  Geno Schiavo detailed successful applications and recommendations for including sustainable design in rehab and new construction multifamily residential buildings.   

This session was geared towards single-family real-estate agents, homeowners, developers and green home enthusiasts.  Speakers discussed what defines a 'green' home, how to find green homes, valuing green building, marketing energy efficiency and policy initiatives to be aware of.  Speakers included Gira Bose, NJHMFA, who discussed upcoming legislation and policy initiatives; Mary Sheehy, NJHMFA Green Homes Office, covered existing and upcoming programs available to homeowners; Robert Hofmann and Jim Hoffner from K. Hovnanian Homes presented market research and on their experiences in selling and building ENERGY STAR Homes; and Joe Marovich, Marovich Business Institute, presented ideas from and a general overview of the NJ Association of Realtor's & National Green Resource Council's certification for realtors.

This training began the exploration of pre-fabricated and modular home construction as a means to creating affordable, resource efficient, energy efficient and environmentally friendly-materials conscious housing.  David Cooper, Modular Homes, Inc., is building its first LEED Certified modular home and has offices in New Jersey and Mike Brown from MaGrann Associates presented on the process flow for modular homes.

The NJ Green Homes Office has hosted a session on Microload homes! While a regular home built to code would receive a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 100; a Microload home would be built to use 50% less energy and would receive a HERS score of 45 or less.  This training is for anyone interested in the process and submittals needed for the NJ ENERGY STAR Climate Choice pilot program, learning the design process needed to reach Microload, and reviewing test cases.  Mark Magrann, MaGrann Associates presented on available incentives, program submittal requirements and other construction items to consider.  Peter Ypsilantis, Integrated Green Technologies, presented the theory behind whole-house design and on UCP's Tewksbury development - which is performing at near-zero-energy levels.  Jerry Bodenstein, Isles, Inc., presented on their existing building Microload retrofit in Trenton, NJ.

Back by popular demand!  The NJ Green Homes Office hosted a repeat training on green building programs! This training is for anyone interested in process and submittals for the Green Future program, LEED for Homes, and information about other green building programs. The speakers will presented their information as on January 26th.  Gabriel Nathanson, NJ Green Homes Office, presented on the Green Future program updates at NJHMFA as well as on new additional resources.  Dave Bone, MaGrann Associates, presented an in-depth comparison on ENERGY STAR, LEED for Homes, NAHB and ANSI/ICC - various national green building and energy efficiency programs.  Pam DeLosSantos, NJ Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, spoke on submissions and things to consider when completing the Green Future program (as used through the NJHMFA Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing program).  Sam Klein, NJ LEED for Homes provider, spoke on the LEED for Homes certification process and the USGBC Affordable Housing Initiative.

As curiosity increases and more folks are becoming familiar with the returning technology, the NJ Green Homes Office hosted a session on Solar Hot Water system.  Topics included how a solar hot water system works, equipment standards, a success story and what to look out for in building codes.  Sam Leone, Conifer Development, LLC, presented his success story from Conifer's Linden Lakes Senior multifamily building.  Mary Sheehy, NJ Green Homes Office, presented on available standards and national resources funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.  Jurgen Balitzky, Energy Alternatives, presented details on solar hot water equipment and installation.

The NJ Green Homes Office hosted a repeat training on green building programs! This training is for anyone interested in process and submittals for the Green Future program, LEED for Homes, and information about other green building programs. Gabriel Nathanson, NJ Green Homes Office, presented on the Green Future program updates at NJHMFA as well as on new additional resources.  Dave Bone, MaGrann Associates, presented an in-depth comparison on ENERGY STAR, LEED for Homes, NAHB and ANSI/ICC - various national green building and energy efficiency programs.  Pam DeLosSantos, NJ Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, spoke on submissions and things to consider when completing the Green Future program (as used through the NJHMFA Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing program).  Sam Klein, NJ LEED for Homes provider, spoke on the LEED for Homes certification process and the USGBC Affordable Housing Initiative.

The NJ Green Homes Office hosted a second training on Solar Photovoltaics.  The training was for anyone interested in solar photovoltaic programs, financing, tools and real-life expereiences.  Mark Valori and Mark Loeser, NJ Clean Energy Program presented on new program developments and the direction of solar PV in New Jersey.  Ron Rukenstein presented on his experiences installing solar PV and difficulties working with the Federal Investment Tax Credit.  Ed Martoglio spoke on the performance of his existing installations, maintenance issues and on trading Solar Renewable Energy Certificates.  Mary Sheehy presented on updated Solar Financing Tool and Solar Financing Handbook. Please look for this updated tool on our website under Resources/Renewable Energy.

This training was for property managers of multifamily affordable housing projects that have been built green.  Learn how to maintain the unique equipment, fixtures and finishes that make these buildings healthier for their residents to live in, less-expensive to heat, cool & light and better for the environment.  Janine Klimczak presented her experiences managing the Center for Great Expectations, and share insights into maintaining the performance of this incredible facility. Jenny Carney of YRG Sustainability Consultants addressed best practices for maintaining your buildings to limit their environmental impact, maintain high indoor air quality and preserve the quality of a green-built building.

From pervious pavers and non-toxic insulation to low-flow fixtures and automatic lighting controls, this hands-on introduction to green building products gives developers of HMFA-financed projects a first-hand look at what's on the market.  Learn about some of the products and materials that the Green Homes Office requires of participants in our Green Future program.  Learn the ways these products will improve the quality of your projects, and the quality of our environment.  Product samples and presentation by Angelo Ansastasio and Lynne Templeton of Greenable.

 This is the beginning of the Green Homes Office workshops.  We started with an introduction to solar photovoltaics.  The session covered how to size a system, what owners needed to submit for the (now no longer available) Customer On-Site Renewable Energy (CORE) / NJHMFA SUNLIT rebate, how to navigate and understand the solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) market, upcoming New Jersey changes to the solar photovoltaic initiatives, and information on how to finance solar PV installations.  Mark Valori, Renewable Energy Technical Director for the Clean Energy Program, presented a very comprehensive introduction to solar PV.  Mary Sheehy, NJ Green Homes Office at NJHMFA, presented briefly on available rebates and incentives.