By Valora Gutierrez
Sustain Dane

In April, Sustain Dane and the City of Madison celebrated the 2022 Efficiency Navigator cohort and announced that applications are now open for the 2023 Efficiency Navigator program. The Efficiency Navigator is a city-sponsored initiative that provides energy efficiency upgrades to multifamily apartment housing. These measures save energy and reduce operating costs for owners and utility bills for residents to keep the units affordable. 

“The Efficiency Navigator program is making Madison’s rental housing more comfortable, affordable and climate resilient,” said Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “I’m grateful to our project partners and, especially, to program participants for helping us provide affordable housing and fight climate change at the same time.”

In its first year, the Efficiency Navigator upgraded 88 rental units on the Northside and Southwest side of Madison. These buildings received over 60 efficiency upgrades altogether. As a result, the energy bills for each building are $300 to $500 less on average per year. And the carbon footprint of the buildings has gone down by 939,198 metric tons per year — that’s like reducing car travel by 209,000 miles.   

“This was something I could do that didn’t require much of me but had good outcomes for the tenants and it was good for the environment,” said a participating Northside building owner.

Participation in the Efficiency Navigator is open to unsubsidized multifamily housing with rents that are affordable to households at or below 80% area median income. Selected buildings receive funding in the range of $10,000–$20,000 for upgrades such as efficient lighting, improved heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, insulation and air sealing, water softener optimization or replacement, water conserving fixtures and recommendations to improve home health.

To learn more about the Efficiency Navigator Program or apply as a property owner, visit SustainDane.org.