Greenbelt Homes Pilot Program: Summary of Building Envelope Retrofits, Planned HVAC Equipment Upgrades, and Energy Savings

In fall 2010, Greenbelt Homes, Inc. (GHI) a 1,566-home cooperative of circa 1930-1940 homes in Greenbelt, Maryland, undertook a multiyear pilot energy efficiency retrofit project. GHI established this pilot project as a basis for decision making for the rollout of a decade-long community-wide upgrade program that will incorporate energy-efficiency improvements to the building envelopes and mechanical equipment. The community upgrade is fully funded by the cooperative through its membership with no outside subsidies. This project thus presents a unique opportunity to evaluate and prioritize the wide range of benefits of high-performance retrofits based on member experience with and acceptance of the retrofit measures implemented during the pilot project. Addressing the complex interactions between benefits, tradeoffs, construction methods, project management implications, realistic upfront costs, financing, and other considerations provides a case study for energy retrofit projects to include high-performance technologies based on the long-term value to the homeowner.