Fitchburg staff report midyear progress on Efficiency Navigator program; preliminary $185,000 estimate to address top building needs

Claire Schaefer, the presenter for the Efficiency Navigator program, told the Housing Committee the city has launched its second phase of assessments aimed at lowering operating costs for small‑ and medium‑size multifamily properties to help preserve affordability and build climate resilience.

"We want to reduce operating costs so that these homes can remain affordable," Schaefer said, describing the program’s focus on weatherization, energy use reduction and occupant health.

Schaefer said staff conducted outreach to 176 properties using letters, newsletters, social media and local television and received about 30 applications; intake was completed for 16 buildings representing about 90 units and 237 residents. To date, the team has completed 14 site assessments and returned 10 assessment reports, with remaining reports covering several larger buildings.

Program findings so far prioritize weatherization as the first step. Schaefer said the assessments surfaced more opportunities for heat‑pump water heaters than in an earlier cohort and fewer whole‑building air‑source heat‑pump conversions. One building scored high enough on a window‑replacement ranking to be a clear candidate for full replacement, she said. Staff also flagged one health‑level gas leak that still needs remediation and noted one building where batteries had been removed from smoke detectors; those detectors were replaced after staff alerted the owner.

Staff presented a contractor‑independent, preliminary estimate of roughly $185,000 to complete the highest‑priority set of measures; that estimate is based on historical costs and will be refined once contractor quotes arrive. Schaefer said the proposed measures could directly affect about 104 residents, including an estimated 29 children and 13 seniors.

John, the program’s rebate specialist, explained how Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) rebates and the state Focus on Energy program can be layered to reduce project costs. He described two IRA paths — an energy‑modeling 'HOMES' path and a prescriptive 'here' path — and said prescriptive rebates can be significant (staff cited examples such as roughly $8,000 per heat pump or up to $14,000 per unit for some combined measures). John cautioned the committee that recent administrative guidance could restrict the use of some rebates for projects that fully convert buildings from gas to electric, limiting certain electrification strategies.

Next steps include soliciting contractor quotes, finalizing three‑party agreements among the city, property owners and contractors, and having owners sign a land‑use restriction agreement (LURA) that would preserve affordability for five years. Staff said the LURA draft was prepared with help from Dan Hardy at CEDA and will be reviewed internally before being discussed at a June 25 joint meeting with CEDA.

Staff also mentioned a related joint grant application to the Public Service Commission’s Office of Energy Innovation — prepared with Madison and Middleton and due June 30 — that would expand the navigator work to include owner‑occupied buildings if funded. Schaefer estimated a not‑final target budget in the neighborhood of $500,000 for that grant application.

Because the meeting lacked quorum, committee members framed questions and offered feedback but did not take formal action. Staff will return with contractor quotes, refined cost estimates and LURA language for subsequent review.