LANCASTER – Work has started on a pilot project to make a low-income apartment complex in Lancaster more energy and water efficient. The $2.46 million sustainability retrofit project aims to bring housing units at The Village at Beechwood to as near-zero net energy as possible, becoming a model for lowering energy and water costs for similar low-income housing communities nationwide.
“This work is important because we need to find a way to make multifamily housing more efficient,” said Samara Larson, director of sustainability for LINC Housing and SEED Partners. “To date, there isn’t clear data on how sustainability retrofits can be cost-effective, while reducing utility costs for owners and residents. This research project will give us that data so we can show the positive impact on costs and the environment.”
The Village at Beechwood is a 100-unit complex, located at 44063 Beech Avenue and owned by LINC Housing. LINC’s wholly owned energy and water services company, SEED Partners, is developing scalable and replicable retrofit packages for individual apartments. To date, two apartments have been completed, and testing of specific measures resulted in air leakage reductions of 70 percent, which will save on heating and cooling costs. These findings will be incorporated into the measures for all 30 units that are part of the research project. All 100 homes in the complex will benefit from energy efficiency improvements to reduce electricity, gas and water costs.
Retrofit packages include new insulation, ENERGY STAR kitchen appliances, and efficient lighting. SEED expects gas usage to be reduced by 45 percent, electricity use to be reduced by 33 percent, and irrigation water to be reduced by 21 percent.
Energy use will be offset by an on-site solar photovoltaic system producing 145,000 kWh per year, and a solar domestic hot water system generating the equivalent of 4,300 therms of natural gas per year. SEED will also install an efficient boiler and smart irrigation controllers with new sprinkler heads.
Work on the project site began in late September and will continue over the next year. The team will monitor performance and energy savings through 2016, providing key data to the California Energy Commission and other agencies to support replicating this near-zero net energy approach in other locations.
The work is funded by the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program’s “Building Energy Efficiency Research and Technology Grant Program” and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Energy Innovation Fund.
Southern California Gas Company envisioned the project back in 2012 and remains a key project partner.
LINC Housing is working with project leader Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), as well as BIRAenergy, CEC, HUD, Southern California Edison, and Southern California Gas Company.
“EPRI is pleased to participate in this project that will bring lower energy costs to residents in affordable housing at Beechwood and to the larger community,” said Ram Narayanamurthy, principal project leader at EPRI. “It enables us to apply our knowledge of energy efficiency to a real-world environment and is well aligned with our public benefit mission.”
LINC Housing Corporation is a nonprofit organization that builds, owns and operates affordable housing for seniors and families throughout California. For more information on the near-zero net energy retrofit project, visit www.linchousing.org.
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[Information via press release from LINC Housing Corporation.]
Ricardo Gilchrist says
All of the reviews on this complex and it’s surrounding area are horrible. A mugging or homicide victim waiting to happen is what you’ll be living or being in that area for too long.
10dog says
Tax payers money at work. The who are really poor fine, but the others just using the system. John 3:16
Rightpower says
You can buy a lot of water and power for 2.5 mil