Please Refer to Appendix 2 and 3 for Full Detail

Energy Star Narrative:

Accomplishments:

“The San Antonio Housing Authority is committed to building and maintaining affordable housing for the citizens of our community. We seek to create safe neighborhoods by partnering with individuals and organizations to provide housing, education and employment opportunities for families of modest means to become self-sufficient and improve their quality of life. We shall serve our clients and all citizens with the highest level of professionalism, compassion and respect.” (San Antonio Housing Authority Mission Statement)

SAHA has stayed true to its mission by successfully procuring Energy Star appliances throughout our organization in 2010 for all New Developments make readies and Comprehensive Modernizations.

Please refer to Appendix 2 and 3 for full detail.

Demonstrated Success:

Procuring Energy Star or Energy Star qualified appliances, fixtures, doors, windows, etc. for developments and Comprehensive modernizations.

4 Multi-Family complexes built in 2010 fitted with Energy Star Appliances totaling 835 units.

1 Comprehensive Modernization on a Multi-Family that qualifies for Energy Star rating. Working with Build San Antonio Green for Certification, which includes Energy Star Rating and Certification totaling 119 units.

Energy Star HVAC for Multi-Family totaling 208 units.

Energy Star HVAC for Single Family totaling 16 homes.

Total number SAHA has 6,175 public housing units at 70 properties.

Institutional Change:

SAHA has been including Energy Star within the requirement in our RFPs and IFBs. SAHA procures items that are energy efficient, most recent examplesare the Coin Operated Laundry RFP, Coin Operated Vending Concessions RFP, PCs & Associated Peripherals IFB. Energy Star is not a requirement in the procurement policy. It was a directive from our Executive Team March 3, 2010.

SAHA is dedicated to conservation, education, staying on the cutting edge and creating a new standard for being environmental stewards. We are in the processes of writing and implementing a Sustainability Policy, which includes conservation of energy, water and indoor air quality.

Housing Affordability:

The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) serves 25,059 households within the city of San Antonio; Non-Profits - 11%; Affordable Housing Partnerships - 14%; Public Housing - 24% and Section 8 – 51%. No matter what an individual or family’s situation is, SAHA provides a basic need, affordable housing, while improving the quality of life for our clients. Nearly 65,000 people utilize SAHA programs, funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and half of our participants are elderly or disabled. Our clients utilize our programs to strengthen their families and to achieve economic stability, which leads to stronger communities.

SAHA’s focus on our clients is geared towards, but not limited to, employment and educational opportunities. Much of the education piece is expanding their knowledge of the energy efficient and energy conservation improvements through the construction projects we embark on within their communities. Over the past year, within SAHA’s Public Housing portfolio, SAHA installed several hundred Energy Star HVAC units and comprehensively modernized 119 elderly units with Energy Star rated components.

Annually, SAHA receives approximately $9.5 million in capital improvements funds and received $20 million in ARRA funding in 2009. When planning for the various improvements utilizing these funds, our focus is on energy efficient and energy conservation components. A major part of our capital improvement strategy is to partner with various organizations which in turn, off-set costs for our major projects. This leveraging and matching comes from organizations such as: The City of San Antonio, San Antonio Water Systems, La Paz, Tom’s Wheel Chair Repair, Casa Linda, A-Plus Family Care, Home Caring, National Hearing, Axiom Home Health, Care Stat, YMCA, Tooth Time and the National Hispanic Retirees.

Outreach and Education:

The San Antonio Housing Authority is the largest landlord in San Antonio. The further we push the envelope for sustainability the more other companies will heighten their standards. Since we have been consulting with Build San Antonio Green and Energy Star Raters about our Multi-Family developments we have been hearing about other developers that have been following suite. We have been creating the standard here in San Antonio and are always up to new challenges and new ideas.

Outreach and education has been in the form of training all of our staff on purchasing Energy Star qualified appliances, replacing all bulbs with CFL’s, and working with the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) to retrofit all of our toilets, aerators, and showerheads with low flows. Outreach for clients have been in the form of Resident Council Meetings. The approach that has been taken is through using simple Earth Systems Theory and how that translates directly to the internal and external environments. Currently we are in the process of writing an extensive plan for all of our developments for energy and water conservation. Along with a Sustainability and Safety Fair that is scheduled early in the 2011 SAHA plans to inspire all of our clientele to be environmental stewards.

Please refer to Appendix 4 for more information.

Contact information:

Beth Keel

Sustainability Initiatives Specialist

210-477-6242

818 S. Flores St.

San Antonio, TX. 78204