Middleton updates Efficiency Navigator: ARPA-funded energy retrofits done in 8 buildings so far; solar procurement remains a hurdle

Kelly Hilliard, Middleton’s sustainability coordinator, told the Workforce Housing Committee the Efficiency Navigator program aims to lower tenants’ energy bills and increase climate resiliency by doing deeper retrofits in naturally occurring affordable housing.

“This program focuses primarily on naturally occurring affordable housing,” Hilliard said, describing a target of 2–8 unit multifamily buildings and partnerships with Elevate Energy, Sustain Dane and Dane County Public Health.

Hilliard reported the city allocated $450,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money to the program and that about $300,000 has been expended so far; Elevate Energy and philanthropy contributed roughly $87,000 and the program also received a $20,000 public-health grant to pair health work with energy retrofits.

On results, Hilliard said, “we have assessed 9 buildings or 20 units total, with really comprehensive energy analysis,” and that eight buildings have received full retrofits to date — 18 households in all — with a ninth building currently underway. The program prioritized deeper packages (weatherization, air-source heat pumps and, where feasible, solar) rather than only lighting or low-cost measures.

Committee members asked about long-term costs and who bears maintenance responsibility for solar systems. Hilliard said building owners would generally assume replacement and maintenance risk and that procurement rules — and the way tax credits apply to owners who do not occupy a building or do not file as an entity — make it difficult for many small landlords to claim the federal 30% solar tax credit.

Hilliard urged committees to consider financing options beyond the current ARPA grants — including loans, blended financing and tapping federal Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives when feasible — and recommended continued coordination between the sustainability committee and the workforce housing committee to scale the program.

What’s next: With roughly $150,000 of ARPA funds remaining, program staff expect to work in two or three more buildings this year and continue outreach in targeted census tracts.