The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is determined to meet President Obama's sustainability targets and goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy and potable water consumption, and fleet petroleum use; increase the percentage of energy from renewable sources; and promote sustainable building practices. HUD is committed to meeting these targets through a collaborative effort across the Department and with external partners.
The 2012 OMB Scorecard on Sustainability and Energy is an excellent indicator of where the Department has both achieved great successes and encountered challenges in attempting to meet sustainability targets and standards.
The Department's success in achieving sustainability goals is heavily dependent on the performance of HUD's Headquarters Facility. The General Services Administration (GSA) owned facility, known as the Robert C. Weaver Building, is the only building that HUD has delegated authority to operate and maintain. The 44-year-old Weaver building is energy inefficient and presents indoor air quality problems due to outdated and failing building equipment and systems. Accordingly, HUD has awarded and initiated an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) to modernize the facility. These improvements are anticipated to help HUD make significant progress toward its ambitious energy and sustainability goals.
Upgrades to the Weaver building's existing systems are well underway. During FY2011, HUD has completed total lighting and water conservation upgrades for the existing building systems as part of the ESPC. The recent upgrades have already resulted in significant reductions to HUD's energy and water consumption. As these upgrades continue, HUD anticipates substantial improvements in the overall building performance.
In addition to the accomplishments above, during FY2011 the Department also:
- Achieved "green" status by reducing its fleet petroleum use by 78.7% (compared to 2005) and eliminated 12% of identified vehicles as part of an initiative to "Right-Size" the Department's vehicle fleet.
- Achieved "green" status by using renewable energy for 5.3% of HUD facilities total electricity use.
- Achieved "green" status by meeting or exceeding goals for Scope 1&2 Green House Gas (GHG) Emission Reductions.
- Finalized design for all of its major ESPC projects.
- Initiated construction for ESPC Phase #1- heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and building envelope improvements in the Robert C. Weaver Building.
Recognizing HUD did not achieve "green" status in all performance areas, including Scope 3 GHG Emission Reduction and Reductions in Energy and Potable Water Intensity, HUD is coordinating across the agency to meet or exceed these targets during FY2012. HUD eagerly anticipates reporting this success during FY2013.
The Department's scorecard may be viewed online