NYC to Spend $200 Million to Upgrade Aging Heating Systems at Public Housing Sites

February 9, 2018

NYC to Spend $200 Million to Replace Boilers, Upgrade Heating Systems at 20 Public Housing Sites

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $200 million investment to replace boilers and upgrade heating systems at 20 NYC Housing Authority developments experiencing chronic outages.

The funding will go toward replacing outdated boilers, and modernizing heating system controls and hot water-making technology. These renovations will be finished by 2022, and will benefitting approximately 45,000 residents. Furthermore, these upgrades will help NYCHA save approximately $5 million per year in energy costs.

“Like our investment to replace aging roofs, this commitment to new heating systems cuts right to the heart of the biggest problems NYCHA residents face, and will make a difference thousands of them will feel,” said de Blasio. “The record-setting cold this winter has hit these aging boilers and pipes hard. We’re coming to the table with real resources to attack these problems, and urge our federal and state partners to do the same.”

Starting in fiscal year 2019, the $200 million will be invested over three years to do the following:

Replace outdated boilers at 10 developments with chronic outages. Developments are often comprised of multiple buildings, with multiple boiler plants, and this funding will go towards installing more than 39 new boilers. The heating upgrades at the 10 additional sites below will help complement previously allocated federal funding for boiler replacements.
Modernize hot water aystems at 12 developments by separating hot water from the heating boilers to reduce the strain on boilers. This will allow NYCHA staff to make repairs on the boiler system during the spring and summer without jeopardizing tenants’ access to hot water. Decoupling these systems also reduces the likelihood that tenants will simultaneously lose heat and hot water during outages.
Install new heating controls at 15 developments to regulate boiler temperature. This will help NYCHA monitor performance more closely, detect possible faults earlier, reduce the strain on boilers and provide more consistent heat to tenants.