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Clean Energy For All
Lovinia Reynolds
Lovinia Reynolds • June 3, 2026 • 4 min read

The Clean Fight Announces Eight Demonstration Projects Focused on Decarbonizing Multifamily Affordable Housing

Banner with the headline 'Eight Novel Projects Unlocking Affordable Housing Decarb'

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve supported eight demonstrations through our Decarbonizing Multifamily Affordable Housing program, working with small affordable housing coops to large housing providers. All of these deployments are designed to not only unlock impact for the residents and housing providers involved in each project, but to prove out how to make adoption more accessible to the full range of New York's broader multifamily affordable housing community. 

All grant awards are between $25-75k, demonstrating the power of small-dollar catalytic capital in driving impactful projects.

The projects:

Building Envelope Materials' retrofit insulation system reduces thermal energy use without resident relocation. They’ve received a grant to deploy their solution in a pre-war multifamily building in the Bronx.

  • The proof point: This will be Building Envelope Materials' first project in New York State, proving their solution’s impact for New York’s unique retrofit market.

Conservation Labs has received a grant to deploy its water-monitoring solution across three residential buildings in Selfhelp Realty Group, Inc.’s New York portfolio with higher than average water use.

  • The proof point: This project will demonstrate impact on energy costs of reducing water leaks in multifamily buildings at the building and unit level, with an estimated utility cost reduction of $46,000 for electric-heated buildings.

In Upper Manhattan, a grant to Copper has already unlocked a 15-unit installation of their battery-backed induction stove in an affordable housing co-op supported by UHAB. After nearly four years without gas, the residents got their kitchens back, while taking a first step toward electrification and its health and lifestyle benefits.

  • The proof point: This project lays the groundwork for scalable, citywide electrification efforts and should deliver significant insights evaluating retrofit feasibility and market readiness for clean cooking technologies in urban housing.

DaisyChain Energy’s platform enables building owners to manage whole-building electric loads. The grant will support the deployment of their solution in a 224-unit public housing property in Manhattan’s Alphabet City, enabling L+M to electrify the building with window heat pumps without shifting heating costs to residents.

  • The proof point: Advanced monitoring will inform both cost management strategies and future electrification opportunities, proving out a potential model for cost effective electrification for other affordable housing providers

Embue, a software platform that turns any apartment building into a smart building by monitoring temperature and humidity in real time, was awarded a grant to deploy their solution in a SHP Management Corporation apartment complex in Manhattan.

  • The proof point: This project leverages a novel approach that will enable one thermostat to control multiple electric heating units, significantly cutting the cost of smart thermostat deployment, and with an estimated heating cost reduction of 20%.

A grant has also been awarded to support the installation of Embue’s solution in Kingston, New York to alleviate overheating in a 131-unit complex managed by Kingston Housing Authority. 

  • The proof point: The company will be demonstrating its first use of an Energy Savings as a Service (ESaaS) model to help make the solution more financially accessible for affordable multifamily buildings.

Gradient was awarded a grant to support the installation of its window heat pumps in a senior housing building owned by Selfhelp Realty Group, Inc. in Flushing, NY. 

  • The proof point: This project aims to demonstrate that installing window heat pumps can result in property cost savings and enhanced resident comfort. It represents a critical next step for Gradient’s expansion into the broader NY affordable housing market.

Another grant has been awarded to Gradient to support the installation of its window heat pumps in an affordable housing co-op in the Bronx. 

  • The proof point: This project enables a novel demonstration of how electrification and advanced ventilation can work together in affordable multifamily housing, proving out the impact of combined upgrades on decarbonization, and resident comfort and health. 

Learn more about the program and the ten fit-for-purpose solutions in this cohort: https://thecleanfight.com/companies/affordable-housing 

With thanks to our supporters NYSERDA and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, without whom this work would not be possible.