$25 Members/$35 Non-Members

Join NESEA for our final Pro Tour of the 2019 season, featuring a deep energy retrofit of a brownstone in Sunset Park – a retrofit that was performed with occupants in place!

The tour will be led by the professional team who made this project possible.  Attendees will learn the steps that were taken to meet a net-zero energy target, improve thermal comfort and air quality, protect the building from moisture, satisfy historic guidelines, and stay within the client’s budget.

Additional topics will include: how to leverage financing mechanisms for historic rehabilitation and solar tax credits; how upgrades to comfort, air quality, durability, and energy performance were made at the lowest possible cost; and details about the air sealing process, including how to perform blower-door-guided air-sealing safely, how to get around existing blown-in insulation, and how to interface with insulation contractors.

Project Details

• Units:  2
• Type of Construction:  DER (completed July 2018)
• Square footage: 3,000
• 10 kw roof-mounted PV array, offsetting more than 100% of energy demand (simple payback period less than two years)
• Owner duplex above, renter at garden level, unfinished basement below
• Townhouse occupied for duration of work
• Shell air sealing from 3,500 to 2,200 cfm50
• Attic and side wall insulation
• Heating and domestic hot water moved from gas to electric heat pump
• Ventilation upgrades to kitchen, dryer, and whole house
• Part of neighborhood renewable energy community

Tentative Schedule

If you have questions about this event, you can contact Florence at fmacgregor@nesea.org or 413-774-6051 x10.