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Title: Public Housing: A Tailored Approach to Energy Retrofits

Abstract

Over one million HUD-supported public housing units provide rental housing for eligible low-income families across the country. A survey of over 100 PHAs across the country indicated that there is a high level of interest in developing low cost solutions that improve energy efficiency and can be seamlessly included in the refurbishment process. Further, PHAs, have incentives (both internal and external) to reduce utility bills. ARIES worked with two public housing authorities (PHAs) to develop packages of energy efficiency retrofit measures the PHAs can cost effectively implement with their own staffs in the normal course of housing operations at the time when units are refurbished between occupancies. The energy efficiency turnover protocols emphasized air infiltration reduction, duct sealing and measures that improve equipment efficiency. ARIES documented implementation in ten housing units. Reductions in average air leakage were 16-20% and duct leakage reductions averaged 38%. Total source energy consumption savings was estimated at 6-10% based on BEopt modeling with a simple payback of 1.7 to 2.2 years. Implementation challenges were encountered mainly related to required operational changes and budgetary constraints. Nevertheless, simple measures can feasibly be accomplished by PHA staff at low or no cost. At typical housing unit turnover rates,more » these measures could impact hundreds of thousands of unit per year nationally.« less

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Technologies Office
OSTI Identifier:
1136234
Report Number(s):
DOE/GO-102014-4438
KNDJ-0-40347-04
DOE Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Related Information: Work performed by the Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions (ARIES) Collaborative, New York, New York
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS; ENERGY EFFICIENCY; BUILDINGS; RESIDENTIAL; ARIES; BUILDING AMERICA; PUBLIC HOUSING; PHA; PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY; ISLIP HOUSING AUTHORITY; RALEIGH HOUSING AUTHORITY; BEOPT; ENERGY MODELING; ENERGY EFFICIENCY RETROFIT; Buildings

Citation Formats

Dentz, J., Conlin, F., Podorson, D., and Alaigh, K. Public Housing: A Tailored Approach to Energy Retrofits. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.2172/1136234.
Dentz, J., Conlin, F., Podorson, D., & Alaigh, K. Public Housing: A Tailored Approach to Energy Retrofits. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1136234
Dentz, J., Conlin, F., Podorson, D., and Alaigh, K. 2014. "Public Housing: A Tailored Approach to Energy Retrofits". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1136234. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1136234.
@article{osti_1136234,
title = {Public Housing: A Tailored Approach to Energy Retrofits},
author = {Dentz, J. and Conlin, F. and Podorson, D. and Alaigh, K.},
abstractNote = {Over one million HUD-supported public housing units provide rental housing for eligible low-income families across the country. A survey of over 100 PHAs across the country indicated that there is a high level of interest in developing low cost solutions that improve energy efficiency and can be seamlessly included in the refurbishment process. Further, PHAs, have incentives (both internal and external) to reduce utility bills. ARIES worked with two public housing authorities (PHAs) to develop packages of energy efficiency retrofit measures the PHAs can cost effectively implement with their own staffs in the normal course of housing operations at the time when units are refurbished between occupancies. The energy efficiency turnover protocols emphasized air infiltration reduction, duct sealing and measures that improve equipment efficiency. ARIES documented implementation in ten housing units. Reductions in average air leakage were 16-20% and duct leakage reductions averaged 38%. Total source energy consumption savings was estimated at 6-10% based on BEopt modeling with a simple payback of 1.7 to 2.2 years. Implementation challenges were encountered mainly related to required operational changes and budgetary constraints. Nevertheless, simple measures can feasibly be accomplished by PHA staff at low or no cost. At typical housing unit turnover rates, these measures could impact hundreds of thousands of unit per year nationally.},
doi = {10.2172/1136234},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1136234}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}