Since then, residents in nine of the Mutual Housing Association's apartment buildings have applied to receive up-to-date equipment ranging from new boilers to new hot water heaters, windows, refrigerators and stoves, Orselli said. To qualify for building-wide upgrades, the majority of the buildings' tenants must be low-income. And to obtain home appliances, tenants must individually meet income eligibility standards, he explained.
"Generally, to get landlords from 21 buildings together can be a very difficult task," Orselli said. "Since we own all the buildings, we can provide permission readily, which makes it efficient."
Financial savings for both the M.H.A. and its tenants is a top priority for the Cooper Square Committee in order to be able to preserve affordable housing, Orselli said.
"The only way we can charge very low maintenance fees is to try to keep the cost of maintaining buildings as low as possible," he said.
Lucille Carrasquero, 84, whose building at 56 E. Fourth St. is slated to get a new boiler, is anxiously awaiting a new fridge to replace the one she's had for nearly nine years. Carrasquero is also hoping to qualify for a replacement window for her outdoor garden, whose current windows are difficult to clean and covered with bars.
"I think it's an excellent opportunity for us to be able to get appliances that we need, especially for us low-income people," said Carrasquero. "You save electricity, first of all — and if you save electricity, you save money."
The initiative has the dual advantage of lowering residents' electricity bills and preserving the environment, added Carrasquero's friend Theresa Sandberry, a resident of 60 E. Fourth St.
"If you can get the building to use less fuel, that's a win-win situation," Sandberry said.
The program also intends to help mom-and-pop stores burdened with electric bills and other operating expenses. Working with energy consultants, Tamara Greenfield, F.A.B.'s executive director, has already surveyed several businesses on the block to evaluate their energy savings options.
"They know it's not a sales pitch, and that it's about some kind of larger community benefit, as well as bringing things that'll help them with their bottom line," said Greenfield.
Lynn Freidus, owner and manager of Random Accessories, a stationery, jewelry and clothing store at 77 E. Fourth St., is working with F.A.B. and Con Edison to switch to lower-wattage light bulbs.
"The fact is, we'd like to save money and still have light," Freidus said.
The Fourth St. Food Co-op natural food store on the ground floor of 58 E. Fourth St., needs a more efficient cooling system, according to co-op member Jill Woodward. The store uses electricity generated by wind power.
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