New York City Housing Authority
At a Glance
Industry
Public Housing Authority
Project Type
Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2018
Location
New York, NY
Summary
Sabah Usmani created a strategy for reducing transportation-related GHG emissions for the New York City Housing Authority and a financial tool to help increase departmental participation in the program.
Goals
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides housing for low and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Earlier this year, they joined New York City’s Fleet Federation, an inter-agency team designed to streamline vehicle operations and maintenance processes across the city agencies. As part of the federation, NYCHA must now comply with its GHG emission reduction targets of cutting 80% of transportation-related emissions by 2050. In order to meet this goal, they enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Sabah Usmani to create a strategic plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their 915 on-road vehicle fleet.
Solutions
Usmani analyzed information on vehicle operations provided by newly installed tracking devices, which monitor routes, distances, fuel usage and other variables. That in conjunction with a study of the electric vehicle market and interviews with various city agencies, led her to recommend a three-pronged approach to reduce GHG emissions from fleet operations. Reduce, Replace, and Electrify. The three mechanisms included:
- Reducing the number of vehicles via vehicle elimination or car sharing
- Replacing existing vehicles with electric counterparts
- Electrifying NYCHA developments by identifying high-travel hot spots in which to install EV charging infrastructure.
After several conversations with NYCHA internal stakeholders, the importance of getting all NYCHA departments and the Fleet Federation on board with the plan was evident. Because legal issues and accounting processes posed a large challenge, Usmani created a financial tool that provides information on the GHG emission reductions and financial savings of the program that will help move the process along more quickly.
Potential Impact
If implemented, Usmani’s recommendations could help NYCHA reduce GHG emissions from vehicle operations 49% by 2038. In addition, NYCHA could see total savings of between $821,600 and $1,141,100 from maintenance, fuel, and GHG externality benefits over the course of that period. This equates to just under $100,000 in savings per year. With this project NYCHA could become a NYC sustainability leader by eventually reducing GHG emissions 80% by 2050.