Southwest Solutions greens up 3 apt buildings with upgrades

Southwest Housing Solutions is upgrading three of its apartment buildings with energy efficient improvements that are expected to create double-digit savings for its tenants.

The housing arm of Southwest Solutions, a Southwest Detroit-based nonprofit, is investing $315,250 in the Harwill, Cole and Harrington buildings. The new improvements include installing reflective roofing to help cool the buildings, installing high-efficiency water heaters, swapping in Energy Star appliances and tuck-pointing the brick exteriors so more heat stays indoors.

"We think we will save 15 percent on utility bills," says Steve Palackdharry, community manager for Southwest Solutions. "This is savings we can pass directly onto our tenants."

Southwest Solutions has a portfolio of 22 apartment buildings throughout Southwest Detroit's neighborhoods, such as Mexicantown and Hubbard Farms. The Harwill Building is located on 1453 Hubbard. The Cole Building is on 4516 W. Vernor Highway and the Harrington Building can be found on 465 W. Grand Blvd. The three buildings have a combined total of 60 units.

The improvements, partially paid for with a SmartBuildings grant from the city of Detroit, has already begun and will wrap up sometime early this summer.

Source: Steve Palackdharry, community manager for Southwest Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

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