Abstract
More than 1 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 andexternal) 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 torequired 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.
Original language | American English |
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Number of pages | 2 |
State | Published - 2014 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/FS-5500-62127
Other Report Number
- DOE/GO-102014-4439
Keywords
- ARIES
- BEopt building energy optimization software
- Building America
- EE
- EE
- energy efficiency
- energy efficiency retrofit
- energy modeling
- Islip housing authority
- PHA
- public housing
- public housing authority
- raleigh housing authority
- residential
- residential buildings