No more leaky toilets: The Boston Housing Authority plans to spend $63 million on energy-efficient retrofits of public housing, part of $238 million worth of improvements for the city of Boston. The retrofits will take place in 13 public housing developments that range from Brighton to Charlestown. The goal of the retrofits will be to improve energy efficiency and save money over the long term. Planned improvements for the developments include:

• more efficient LEDs and compact fluourescent lighting
• cleaner natural gas burners to replace inefficient older boilers
• low-flow toilets
• improved heaters and thermostats
• white reflecting roofs and solar panels to replace heat-absorbing tar roofs

Part of the energy-efficiency changes will involve public outreach, teaching public housing residents to conserve energy even though they do not pay utility bills.

Retrofitting buildings is a huge way to increase energy efficiency in an area. Buildings use 40 to 50 percent of the world’s energy, due to flaws like inefficient heating and cooling systems. These changes will not only benefit those living in public housing, but the investment will likely save money for the city in the long run and, of course, save water and energy.