Sustainability, Resilience and Wellness
CNAHS has received national attention for its commitment to develop sustainable affordable housing. Developments include high performance buildings with renewable energy installations to reduce our carbon footprint portfolio-wide; CNAHS has achieved water and energy savings in all renovations of existing buildings. Furthermore, CNAHS goes beyond reducing buildings’ energy use to integrate sustainable design features and develop resident programs that promote healthy living for our community.
Promoting Clean energy
Since CNAHS started pursuing renewable energy at our buildings, we’ve seen a 20% reduction in energy use portfolio-wide. We currently have nine solar photo-voltaic array installations with a tenth installation planned, as well as six solar thermal installations.
Sustainable Asset Management Planning
Apartment turnover practices include:
Installation of Energy Star appliances
Installation of low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures
Improvement of air quality through continuous mechanical ventilation, use of low VOC paints and adhesives, and sustainable cleaning supplies
Replacement of existing carpet with resilient flooring products
Capital work includes:
Improving and increasing wall and roof insulation
Installing new windows with improved materials and sealing practices
Upgrading heating systems with efficient equipment and setting existing heating equipment to run efficiently
Partnership for a Healthier America
In 2016, CNAHS became the first nonprofit member of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). In partnering with PHA, CNAHS committed to incorporate Active Design Principles and healthy resident programming in 80% of renovations and all new construction projects. CNAHS staff have also helped the PHA team define metrics specific to affordable housing developments and large-scale rehab projects.
Resiliency and Emergency Preparedness
CNAHS is collaborating with WinnResidental, the property management company for CNAHS’s portfolio, to develop an application for emergency preparedness specific to each building. Through resident education and property management training, CNAHS and Winn will use this application to better react to weather events and make our existing portfolio more resilient.
CNAHS is also incorporating resiliency strategies through capital work. During the design phase of both new construction and rehab projects, CNAHS is researching innovative resiliency measure and working with the project team to incorporate climate resiliency into each development.
Sustainability Certifications
Three LEED Platinum Certifications
Two LEED-Certifiable projects
Two building renovations approaching Net Zero energy use
One Passive House development (currently under construction)
Pursuing Enterprise Green Communities certifications for two large-scale projects