The Sustainability Institute Completes $500k, 2-year Energy Efficiency Research Project

So today, we released the report for the CharlestonWISE Impact Project of which I was the Project Manager on for The Sustainability Institute (SI).  I came into the project after it started and focused on the executing, monitoring, controlling and close-out phases of the project.  Right now, we’re in the process of sharing the report with all the major partners.  The data, research, lessons learned and all of that good stuff is already being used by other programs at SI and will continue to play a role in the local residential energy efficiency industry.  Below is our wording from the press release.  Download the report here CharlestonWISE Impact Project Report.  I’ve also included 4 case studies that profile 4 of 17 homes that received energy retrofits via the project.  More about our Green Cities Program here.  Enjoy!

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The Sustainability Institute Completes Energy Efficiency Research Project to Better Understand the Current Condition of Charleston’s Residential Housing

A $500k, 2-year Project funded by The Home Depot Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Institute

CHARLESTON April 29, 2013 – The Sustainability Institute (SI) today released their CharlestonWISE Impact Project report, sharing their findings regarding energy efficiency with the Charleston community.  The project conducted needed research and market analysis to better understand the current condition of Charleston’s single-family residential housing stock and the potential for energy efficiency improvements.  The Project provided valuable support for the growth and development of the ongoing CharlestonWISE program through data collection, community outreach, market analysis and workforce development.  The report can be found at http://www.sustainabilityinstitutesc.org/downloads/CWIP__Final_Report.pdf.  SI partnered with the City of Charleston and other key organizations to design a program that utilized a collective impact approach and delivered on goals designed to further advance energy efficiency measures in Charleston.

Outcomes of the Project Include:

• Implemented a city-wide energy efficiency partnership by conducting energy assessments on 152 single-family residential homes within the City of Charleston, including historic, low- to moderate-income households, and affordable housing units.
• Performed energy efficiency retrofits on 17 low- to moderate-income homes to achieve significant utility savings and improve health and comfort issues.
• Provided substantial and verifiable data on the current condition of Charleston’s residential building stocks, best practices for energy efficiency retrofits, and savings potential.
• Created a specialized curriculum to teach energy efficiency renovations for historic structures in hot humid climates; and enhance the City’s Green Collar Workforce and energy efficiency services industry through industry growth and job opportunities.
• Provided data needed to reduce the environmental impact of Charleston’s built environment, as well as arm Charleston’s building industry with the skilled labor force and resources it needs to integrate energy efficiency as a standard of building practices.

According to Bryan Cordell, Executive Director of The Sustainability Institute, “This significant investment from the Sustainable Cities Initiative has allowed us to collect data at an unprecedented level and has informed how we need to address upgrading our residential buildings across the City.  We now know the exact needs of buildings of various ages, designs and construction types in Charleston, and we’ve developed strategies now being implemented by our CharlestonWISE program.”

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About The Sustainability Institute

The Sustainability Institute (SI) is an award-winning, nonprofit, 501c(3) organization with a mission of empowering South Carolina communities to transform our homes and workplaces to conserve energy and reduce our overall environmental impact.

For over a decade, The Sustainability Institute has worked one person at a time to achieve energy efficiency in our community and thereby produce positive effects locally as well as on the global environment. Our programs create a win-win-win scenario because they work together to save energy costs, improve the environment, and create jobs. Our urgent focus is creating energy efficiency in the ‘built environment’ — the buildings where we live and work.  Learn more at http://www.sustainabilityinstitutesc.org.

Project Case Studies:

Energy Retrofit for a Deserving Veteran!

The Sustainability Institute’s Energy Conservation Corps (ECC) teamed up with South Carolina Association of Heating and Air-Conditioning Contractors (SCAHACC) – Lowcountry branch, for the retrofit on the home of a deserving North Charleston military veteran!

ECC members, who a part of an AmeriCorps supported workforce training program through The Sustainability Institute,  worked side-by-side with the top Lowcountry HVAC pros on this project – resulting in a projected 28% yearly energy savings  = $1,221 saved annually.

Check out the video! SCAHACC plans to implement similar retrofit projects, for deserving families, among the other 10 chapters across South Carolina-

Historic Structure Receives Energy Retrofit

As Part of the CharlestonWISE Impact Project, this historic Charleston home built around 1880 received an energy retrofit.  The CharlestonWISE Impact Project is a partnership program between the City of Charleston and The Sustainability Institute (SI), and funded through a grant from the Sustainable Cities Institute.  The Project provided valuable support for the growth and development of the CharlestonWISE program through data collection, community outreach, market analysis and workforce development.  I helped to complete the project as one of my first responsibilities at SI.  During 2011 and 2012 the Project performed 152 home energy assessments and 17 home energy retrofits on homes throughout the City of Charleston. These assessments provided much needed information on how our homes use energy and how we can better help all Charleston residents reduce their energy use and have healthy, comfortable, energy-efficient homes.  17 out of the 152 homes that received energy assessments also were chosen to receive various levels of energy retrofits.  More on the Impact Project here.

For the pdf click on CWIP Case Study 1

This home received a comprehensive energy assessment by a qualified energy advocate.  This assessment modeled energy improvements and recommended a scope of work specific to the house.  Subsequently, the home received an energy retrofit with projections of 55% improvement in energy savings.  We will revisit this home a year later to reanalyze the data and projections.  Improving an existing home is more sustainable then building a new one.  Improving a home that is historic helps to ensure that these treasures stay around for many more years to come.  The Southeastern climate presents some unique challenges due to its warmth and humidity.  If not done properly, irreversible damage can be dome to historic homes when a retrofit takes place.  That’s why we worked hard to deliver a curriculum for contractors, energy auditors and historic preservation professionals that focused on improving energy efficiency while maintaining historic integrity.  By replacing an aging improperly sized heating & air conditioning system in this home with mini splits and ductless units, we able to utilize new technology and minimize impact to the home.  By encapsulating the attic area with open cell spray foam in a removable manner, we improved the building envelope while preserving the historical integrity of the structure.

Another retrofit conducted as part of this Project can be found here.

 

Update 4/29/13: More on the Impact Project here.

Charleston Green Business Challenge

The Charleston Green Business Challenge (GBC) is wrapping up it’s second year and is now taking sign ups for 2013.  As part of the steering committee, I’ve recently been assisting with the scoring of about 50 businesses’ 2012 scorecards.  Green Business Challenges and similar programs have popped up around the country and are a great way to educate and really scale up city sustainability.  The Charleston program has helped a total of 135 businesses meet their goal of providing a healthier and more sustainable work environment. In the first year, businesses averaged over $6,000 in financial savings as they achieved their green business goals.  All participants are a part of a unique team of almost 7 million square feet of offices and businesses in the Lowcountry who each offer inspiring contributions to what it means to operate a green business.  Collectively the GBC as a whole implemented about 600 new green strategies throughout the year.

The goals of the voluntary Charleston’s Green Business Challenge are to improve environmental performance of commercial and institutional buildings and their operations. Three key elements are reducing energy, waste and water. Going green is not just the right thing to do for the community and the planet; it has many good financial and health benefits as well. Many building owners and companies have noted significant bottom line financial savings from their environmental and energy efficiency initiatives. Participating in the GBC will allow businesses, institutions and Charleston, to get a head start on these savings and these environmental benefits.

The GBC is led by the City of Charleston.  The primary interest for the City is to continue to assist businesses with ways to save money through practices that will both benefit their business and the community as a whole. The idea is to offer a program that provides an easy path to improvement that is both measurable and achievable. The twelve month program allows businesses to see results throughout the process. It rewards not only reducing waste and consumption, but also incentivizes community involvement and stewardship. The program is managed by the Planning, Preservation and Sustainability Department at the City of Charleston.

From the GBC Team:

On March 1st we start our new GBC year. We hope your team will join us.

Here’s what we know.

• The Green Business Challenge is a great way to get your team behind energy, water and waste reduction strategies as well as buying local.
• Your team will make your own goals.
• We’ll have trainings that will help connect you with resources as well as learn from each other.
• And we’ll have fun celebrating everyone’s successes-more on that in another paragraph.

To get started in this year’s GBC, click here to sign up for your businesses password and login.

Home Energy Retrofit Delivers on Cost Savings and Efficiency Improvements

Energy Efficiency (EE) is at the forefront of many sustainability initiatives and the opportunity to drive change at the individual building level and aggregate up to community, city, and regional levels is very promising.  This post gives a brief overview of a project I worked on that sought to improve the energy efficiency of a particular house while providing lessons learned and research for a larger city wide project.  It is but one example of many but initial results are very promising.

This home received an energy retrofit via the CharlestonWISE Impact Project.  The CharlestonWISE Impact Project is a partnership program between the City of Charleston and The Sustainability Institute (SI), and funded through a grant from the Sustainable Cities Institute.  The Project provided valuable support for the growth and development of the CharlestonWISE program through data collection, community outreach, market analysis and workforce development.  I helped to complete the project as one of my first responsibilities at SI.  During 2011 and 2012 the Project performed 152 home energy assessments and 17 home energy retrofits on homes throughout the City of Charleston. These assessments provided much needed information on how our homes use energy and how we can better help all Charleston residents reduce their energy use and have healthy, comfortable, energy-efficient homes.  17 out of the 152 homes that received energy assessments also were chosen to receive various levels of energy retrofits.

The homeowners first attended an educational workshop conducted by SI that taught them about basic energy efficiency concepts and how they can take steps at home to reduce their energy consumption.  Next, the homeowners received a comprehensive energy assessment on their home by a qualified energy advocate.  The advocate performed visual inspections on the hope, conducted performance testing and utilized energy modeling software to help craft a scope of work and recommended improvements to the home.  The performance testing include a whole-house blower door test to gauge building envelope air leakage and also a duct blaster test on the HVAC supply and return lines.  This assessment report was reviewed by a third-party quality assurance team before presenting back to the homeowner.  This particular house showed great potential for EE and was subsequently selected to receive an energy retrofit.  Projections showed the opportunity for a 46% energy efficiency improvement and a 47% cost savings improvement annually of $2,159 to the homeowner.

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The home received comprehensive air sealing improvements to better seal the building envelope.  New insulation was installed in the attic and a brand new HVAC system and new air ducts were ran.  Performance testing and quality assurance work was conducted after the work was completed.  The air sealing on the home improved 49% and the HVAC duct leakage went from 21% leakage to 4.5% leakage.  We will come back to this house a full year after the retrofit was completed and analyze the utility data to see where we landed in regards to the initial EE projections.  We have received some preliminary information from the homeowner that is very promising.  Not only has their comfort level inside the home greatly improved but they are seeing dramatic reductions in the energy consumption and their energy bills year over year have been cut in half!  Good stuff!

 

Update 4/29/13: More on the Impact Project here.