For instance, the projected heating costs for the building are slated at approximately five to ten percent of the overall building energy consumption, compared to 38 percent on average for a New York City multifamily apartment building. In addition, the property will have 35 units reserved for former homeless individuals and the ground floor houses a 4,300-square-foot community studio and gallery space for local artists.

Affordable housing does not need to compromise on quality, but instead, it can set a new standard for future developers to follow, the firm said. "This is a great example of how an affordable housing property can be energy efficient and save on operations costs. As a Buildings of Excellence award winner, Omni New York will use the award to implement Bright Power's MoBIUS real-time energy management service," the firm said. "With MoBIUS, Bright Power will help Omni New York maintain and improve energy performance. The award will also enable Bright Power and Omni New York to compare real data from two different buildings (the two phases of the project site: Park Avenue Green and it's neighbor, Morris Avenue Apartments) of similar size, tenant population, and location — one Passive House and LEED Gold This analysis will help to reveal the operational differences of Passive House and non-Passive House buildings and quantify the energy savings benefits of Passive House construction."