http://www.ashden.org/winners/Ecocasa15

By unlocking financing to build low-carbon social housing, EcoCasa stands to help transform Mexico’s social housing sector. The programme is the initiative of local housing development bank Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal (SHF), working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the German Development Bank (KfW) to offer low-interest loans to local building developers in return for them creating sustainable homes. Developers must build social housing with at least 20% lower carbon emissions than standard designs, without increasing the sale price. Carbon savings are achieved through a range of energy-saving measures like insulation, window shades and solar water heaters, with SHF checking designs and construction quality. With nearly 12,000 homes already sold or under construction, there’s funding for up to 27,600 homes.