News NYC public housing getting $100 million energy efficiency upgrade At least $100 million will be used to begin to retrofit New York City housing projects with energy efficient upgrades, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday, April 9, 2015. He is shown holding a news conference at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan on March 2, 2015. Photo Credit: Charles Eckert By MATTHEW CHAYES / NEWSDAY matthew.chayes@newsday.com @chayesmatthew Updated April 10, 2015 7:10 AM Print Share fbShare Tweet Email At least $100 million will be used to begin to retrofit city housing projects with energy-efficient upgrades, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday. The New York City Housing Authority, using funds arranged through the Obama administration, expects the work to "dramatically" cut greenhouse gas emissions, generate tens of millions of dollars in cost savings and create more than 500 jobs, de Blasio said at an event at a housing project in Canarsie, Brooklyn. "Global warming is changing our lives. Climate change is changing our lives. It's creating new challenges. We have to get ahead of it," de Blasio said. De Blasio, who called the program the largest energy savings effort of any public housing authority in the United States, is aiming to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Julián Castro, the federal housing secretary, said the program would be used as a nationwide model. "That's huge. Very significant," he said. "As former Mayor Ed Koch famously said, 'New York is where the future comes to audition.' " By MATTHEW CHAYES / NEWSDAY matthew.chayes@newsday.com @chayesmatthew Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City Hall. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comments We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.
