Margaret-Bennett Homes
Location: Baltimore, MD • Units: 30 • Owner: Women’s Housing Coalition, Inc. • Contractor: Comfort Tech and ADP • Construction Cost: $395,000
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Margaret-Bennett Homes was built in the 1780s, and was last renovated in 1999. It provides 30 rooms for formerly homeless women. Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development selected New Ecology to provide auditing and project management for the Customer Investment Fund—MF Housing Energy Efficiency Retrofit pilot.
SOLUTIONS AND FEATURES
- New Ecology worked with building staff and residents to evaluate the existing steam systems and propose natural gas fired systems to reduce maintenance and operations costs and improve energy efficiency;
- New Ecology used an eQuest energy model to evaluate the cost benefits of the fuel switch. The renovation was bid as a Design Build project with two years of system maintenance included in the bid price;
- The scope of work included boilers, water heaters, a chiller, lights, plumbing fixtures, bathroom exhaust fans, fan coil cleaning and new programmable thermostats;
- $3,700 per year (27,000 kWh) is being saved by turning off the domestic water booster pump. The water pressure on the top floor was tested with and without the booster pump in operation and the water pressure remained at 50 psi.
PROJECTED SAVINGS:
- 36% Electricity (water booster pump, chiller, lights, RTU, circulators, appliances)
- 50% Energy (steam to gas conversion, boilers, water heaters)
- 10% Water (toilets, clothes washers)