Whitney Young Manor
The Project
Whitney Young Manor is a two-building, 195-unit affordable housing property in Yonkers, NY. Built in 1973, it relied on electric resistance heat, one of the most expensive ways to heat a building. The ownership team wanted to lower operating costs, modernize aging heating and hot water systems, and prepare the property for a carbon-neutral future without displacing residents.
Bright Power evaluated the options and helped the team choose a plan that was cost-effective, competitive for state funding, and could be completed with residents in place. The project was selected for NYSERDA’s Empire Building Challenge, a state program that funds ambitious retrofits of existing buildings, and the owners committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2035.
ENERGY USE
-41%
Reduction
UTILITY COSTS
-25%
Reduction
CARBON EMISSIONS
-43%
Reduction
Bright Power’s Role
A 1970s affordable housing property in Yonkers cut its energy use by 41% and its utility bills by nearly $180,000 a year, backed by about $6M in outside funding and completed while residents stayed in their homes.
Electrification Scope Development
Identified innovative, scalable electrification solutions, including heat pump and heat recovery technologies while balancing cost, performance, and resident impact.
Funding
Strategy
Led the state funding application and brought in additional utility and state incentives.
Technical
Advisor
Served as NYSERDA’s independent technical advisor, overseeing installation to confirm the work was done as designed.
Scope of Work and Results
Bright Power started with a detailed energy audit and utility bill analysis to pinpoint where the building was losing money. From there, we developed a capital plan and supported design so the owners could move forward with a clear, fundable scope.
Installation wrapped up in 2026. Through year-end, Bright Power is supporting commissioning, the testing that confirms each system runs as intended. A follow-up study will then compare energy use before and after the retrofit and report the results to the owners and NYSERDA.
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Building Envelope Upgrades
A tighter, better-insulated exterior that keeps heat in
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Ventilation with Energy Recovery
Fresh air that reuses heat that would otherwise be lost
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Heat Pump Heating and Hot Water
Efficient electric heat pumps replace costly resistance heat
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Wastewater Heat Recovery
Captures heat from drain water to help warm the building’s hot water
Results So Far
These figures compare the last 10 months of actual energy use with the building’s pre-retrofit baseline, adjusted for weather.
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Energy Use
41% lower
From 74 to 44 kBTU/SF/yr
EUI target met, measurement & verification ongoing
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Carbon Emissions
43% lower
From 881 to 499 tCO2e/yr
382 tCO2e avoided per year
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Utility Costs
25% lower
From $720,372 to $540,907/yr
$179,465 saved per year
Energy use is measured as energy use intensity (EUI), the building’s total annual energy use per square foot.
See What’s Possible For Your Property
