MEA Road Trip to the Housing Authority of Crisfield

By Brandon Bowser
MEA Program Manager

The Maryland Energy Administration was invited to tour the Housing Authority of Crisfield apartment complex during an extreme energy efficiency makeover.  A total of 330 apartments were given a Quick Home Energy Checkups (QHECs) to determine the most effective means for upgrade.

The Maryland Energy Administration provided a $305,000.00 Clean Energy Communities Low-to-Moderate Income Grant to SAFE Housing, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the health, safety, and efficiency of low-to-moderate income residences, to assist with the energy enhancements. Once complete,  this project will result in 168,480 kilowatt hours of electricity savings and  1,319 MMBTU of gas savings for the Housing Authority. Moreover, the energy upgrade measures will equal a cost savings of over $35,000 per year or a 12% reduction in its energy usage.

SAFE Housing was able to perform weatherization upgrades on 70 of the 330 units and install the following measures on all 330 units using the grant funds:

              Over 5,200 LED lights
              647 low flow faucet aerators
              284 new low-flow energy efficient shower heads
              149 smart energy surge protectors

SAFE Housing will continue to upgrade the air sealing on the attics, doors, and windows and increase insulation levels to R-49 with blown fiberglass. The pre-existing insulation from 1962 had an R-Value of zero. SAFE Housing plans to apply to the 2017 Clean Energy Communities Low-to-Moderate Income Grant Program for funding to continue upgrading the units.