Multifamily Performance Program at The Beaumont Apartments

Challenge

This 22 unit, affordable housing complex, built in 1920, was in dire need of an upgrade. Utility bills were high, tenants were unhappy and uncomfortable, and the heating boiler and hot water systems had chronic issues requiring frequent repair. After years of paying for high energy bills and constant maintenance, Brooks Landing Properties, the owner of the building, decided to take action. They looked into NYSERDA's Multifamily Performance Program (MPP) and chose True Energy Solutions as their Multifamily Performance Partner. As the MPP program Partner, True Energy Solutions performed a comprehensive energy audit, detailing cost effective improvements that save energy and resolve health, safety and comfort concerns. 

True Energy Solutions found quite a few issues during the energy audit that were the cause of high utility bills and the tenants being uncomfortable. First, the attic had no insulation which is a major cause of energy being lost. The hot water boiler was operating at 63% efficiency and hot water use was found to account for much higher than average utility use. Additionally, most of the building had incandescent based light fixtures, with some dating back to the 1920's. The building temperature was set by a single thermostat in a service hallway. All of this was leading to the tenants complaining of poorly lit hallways, uncomfortable temperatures and drafts, despite the time of the year. 

Solution

To fix these issues and make the tenants more comfortable in their homes, True Energy Solutions, insulated the attic to keep the energy inside the building. We also installed low-flow faucet aerators to reduce the high use of water. We replaced the lighting fixtures in the common area as well as throughout individual apartments to make the lighting more energy efficient and brighter. We air sealed the building envelope and installed a new domestic hot water boiler tank with 96% efficiency. We also installed multi-input space heating control system thermostats throughout the building so that the temperatures could be controlled on each floor as well as adding a variable speed drive on the heating distribution pump motor to have even more control over the air-flow throughout the building.