Dumont Green at 1490 Dumont Avenue is a 176-unit, low-income rental building constructed in Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood by Manhattan-based developer the Hudson Companies. The eight-story building encompass 172,000 gross square feet, and features a 6,000-square-foot, landscaped courtyard for the exclusive use of residents and the largest solar electric system (80.5 kilowatts) installed on a residential building in New York City. The system will provide power to cover 80 percent of the laundry facilities, 

elevators, common areas, and security systems.

Photo Credit: James Shanks

Dumont Green is one of the first city-subsidized affordable housing developments to voluntarily attain Enterprise Green Communities Certification. The Enterprise Green criteria were created to yield lowered utility costs, a healthier living environment and increased sustainability while benefiting the financial stability of both tenants and affordable housing owners. In January 2011, HPD announced that it was requiring all new construction and substantial rehabilitation projects to adhere to the criteria of the program.

Bright Power consulted with the Hudson Companies in multiple regards on this project, including:

• Solar feasibility and design consulting
• Energy modeling for the NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program
• Green Communities consulting

Bright Power is as part of a consultant group with Association for Energy Affordability (AEA) and Thread Collective that has worked closely with Hudson and the building architecture team from the outset of this project. AEA and Bright Power have a long established career in building energy efficiency, and are committed to using energy efficiency to maintain affordable and healthy housing for low and moderate-income families and communities. Thread Collective is a design architecture firm with expertise in ENERGY STAR^®, LEED and green building design, working in the green building sector for over 15 years.

This project received a $225,000 solar rebate from NYSERDA and funding from NYC Housing Development Corporation, NYC Dept. of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD), NYC Housing Trust Fund, HOME, NYC Acquisition Loan Fund, and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office. Dumont Green is part of NYSERDA’s Multifamily Performance Program for New Construction (MPP-NC), which funds the cost of the energy model and some cost of the energy improvements in the building.

Dumont Green Development from Thirteen.org on Vimeo.

HDC, HPD, THE HUDSON COMPANIES, BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARKOWITZ, AND COUNCILMAN BARRON CELEBRATE GRAND OPENING OF 176 UNITS OF NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN (Press Release, May 5, 2011)

Hudson Companies Inc. Announces 80,500 Watt PV System for Dumont Green (Press release, March 16, 2010)