The Lebanon Housing Authority (LHA), a nonprofit organization providing affordable housing in Lebanon, NH, was selected to participate in the Home Energy Assistance Program facilitated by Liberty Utilities.
The project focused on increasing the energy efficiency of two low income housing facilities. A 30-unit family community and a 40-unit senior housing complex were analyzed and retrofitted with several energy saving measures.
“This project was wonderful for us” said Lebanon Housing Authority Director Ditha DeSimone. “Since we are a nonprofit, it’s difficult to invest in an improvement project like this.”
After completing an energy audit and laying out energy efficiency plans, Liberty Utilities was able to provide the scope of work and funding in conjunction with the Tri-County Community Action Program.
Improvement measures included new hybrid domestic hot water tanks, additional insulation to all attic spaces, new digital thermostat controls to prevent wasteful heating, low flow aerators, handheld low flow showerheads and bathroom exhaust fans with timer control switches.
“This project means more comfortable conditions for our residents and we can expect significant savings on utility bills as well,” said DeSimone. “We couldn’t be happier with the way the project turned out. We look forward to working with Liberty Utilities on future projects.”
According to Peggy Curran, Liberty Utilities Energy Efficiency Analyst, the project costs were approximately $150,000 and yielded an annual savings of 198,000 KWh. “It’s terrific to see a non-profit benefit from this program,” said Curran. “We are always happy to help homeowners and businesses benefit from energy efficiency projects, however, it is especially rewarding to be able to improve upon the homes of those most vulnerable in Liberty’s service area.”