Fannie Mae offers incentives for energy, water efficiency in multifamily buildings

Owners of apartment buildings and cooperatives may be eligible for loans with reduced interest rates for upgrades that reduce their energy or water consumption by at least 20%, under a new Fannie Mae refinancing program.

A property owner seeking to refinance a $10 million loan with the new Green Rewards for Multifamily program could receive an additional $250,000 in a loan to make energy- and water- saving improvements that would reduce annual $140,000 energy and water costs by 30%. The owner could qualify for an interest rate reduction of 10 basis points, which would yield a savings of more than $98,000 in total interest over 10 years.

The program is intended for property owners to make smart investments that reduce energy and water expenses, generate electricity or result in a third-party green building certification, including installing ENERGY STAR certified HVAC systems, electricity-generating solar panels, water-reducing irrigation systems, or applying for a Green Building Certification, such as ENERGY STAR or U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, according to Fannie Mae.

Earlier this year, Fannie Mae unveiled another program that offers financial incentives to multifamily developers who build green properties. The Multifamily Green Building Certification Pricing Break reduces interest rates on refinancing, acquisition, and supplemental loans by 10 basis points for developers whose buildings qualify for LEED, Energy Star or Enterprise Green Communities programs.

Roughly one in three office buildings in the largest U.S. cities are well suited to be converted to multifamily residential properties, according to a study by global real estate firm Avison Young. Some 6,206 buildings across 10 U.S. cities present viable opportunities for conversion to residential use.

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