Sustainable Construction in Indian Country Energy Evaluation and Recommendations Elder Housing Sunrise Acres November 27, 2012 Akwesasne Housing Authority Hogansburg, NY Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 1  1. Site Description: Sunrise Acres ............................................................................................................ 2  2. Phase 1: Building Description .............................................................................................................. 3  2.1 Building Envelope ............................................................................................................................. 3  2.2 HVAC ................................................................................................................................................ 4  2.3 Domestic Hot Water .......................................................................................................................... 4  2.4 Lighting ............................................................................................................................................. 4  2.5 Additional Plug Loads ....................................................................................................................... 5  3. Phase 2: Building Description .............................................................................................................. 5  3.1 Building Envelope ............................................................................................................................. 5  3.2 HVAC ................................................................................................................................................ 6  3.3 Solar Domestic Hot Water ................................................................................................................ 6  3.4 Lighting ............................................................................................................................................. 6  3.5 Additional Plug Loads ....................................................................................................................... 7  4. Energy Analysis Approach .................................................................................................................... 7  5. Energy Consumption and Analysis ....................................................................................................... 9  5.1 Utility Rates ....................................................................................................................................... 9  5.2  Energy Consumption Profiles ....................................................................................................... 10  5.3 Breakdown of Energy Consumption & Costs .................................................................................. 12  6. Load Reduction and Efficiency Improvements Measures ................................................................... 14  6.1 ECRM 1: Lighting Upgrade ............................................................................................................. 14  6.2 ECRM 2: Replace Old Refrigerators ............................................................................................... 15  6.3 Install Low Flow Fixtures ................................................................................................................. 15  6.4 ECRM 6: Boiler Upgrade ................................................................................................................ 17  7. Renewable Energy Related Measures ............................................................................................... 18  7.1 ECRM 7: Geothermal...................................................................................................................... 18  7.2 ECRM 8: Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water Upgrade .................................................................. 18  7.3 ECRM 9: Photovoltaic Array ........................................................................................................... 19  7.4 ECRM Recommendation Summary ................................................................................................ 20  7.5 Additional Energy Reduction Measures .......................................................................................... 21  8. Educational Outreach ......................................................................................................................... 22  9. Rebates & Tax Credits ........................................................................................................................ 23  10. Green Features/Sustainable Development ....................................................................................... 24  10.1 Renewable Energy Sources ......................................................................................................... 24  10.2 Geo-Thermal Energy .................................................................................................................... 25  10.3 Optimum Solar Harvesting ............................................................................................................ 25  10.4 Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems .............................................................................................. 26  10.5 Solar Tube Indoor Lighting ........................................................................................................... 26  10.6 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panel System and Net- Metering ............................................................ 26  10.7 Local Utility Company and Net-Metering Policies ......................................................................... 28  10.8 Sustainable Neighborhood Development ..................................................................................... 28  10.9 Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) ................................................................................................. 30  11. Overview of Phase 1 & Phase 2 Energy Consumption ..................................................................... 31  i Executive Summary St. Regis Tribal and housing authority leadership believes that an energy efficient, healthy home is the foundation of society and that a quality home provides a pathway to achieving an enriched lifestyle. Sunrise Acres Phase Two illustrates the Tribe and the housing authority’s leadership role in the successful design and development of a sustainable neighborhood. Sunrise Acres-Phase 1 illustrates the Tribe’s commitment to updating an existing neighborhood to a green, sustainable neighborhood. There are 116 million residential households currently in the United States with an average of 500,000 new homes built annually. This accounts for 21.5% of the national energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, and about 38% of the nation’s electricity use. About 85% of the housing stock was constructed prior to 2000. Older buildings generally have less stringent energy codes, are poorly insulated, suffer from excessive air leakage, and have inefficient mechanical, and lighting systems. This report is an energy evaluation which provides a comparison and analysis of the 20 older residential units to the 20 newer residential units at the Sunrise Acres Development. The report also provides strategies to upgrade the older residential units making them more energy efficient. The Akwesasne Housing Authority which is located on the St. Regis Indian Reservation in Hogansburg, New York, manages the Sunrise Acres elderly housing development. It was constructed in two phases. The Phase 1 Sunrise Acres project cost $1,089,035 and was built beginning in 1998 with 1937 ACT funding. The Phase 2 project, built in 2011, cost approximately $7 million, of which $4 million was built with Recovery Act funds and $3 million was NAHASDA funding. This report provides an energy and cost comparison analysis between Phase 1 and Phase 2 buildings, includes strategies to reduce the annual operation cost for the Phase 1 buildings through load reduction and energy efficiency improvements, and highlights the green construction features incorporated into the Phase 2 buildings. 1 1. Site Description: Sunrise Acres The Phase 1 development was built in 1998 using HUD 1937 Act Funds and was designed by Architectural & Engineering Design Associates. The total project cost was $1,089,035. It included six apartment buildings, an administration building, and a warehouse. Each 3,497 ft2 one-story building has its own mechanical room and is divided into four 2-bedroom apartments, comprising a total of 20 units. The Phase 1 buildings were built with traditional 2x6 wood frame construction with a primary heating source provided through a radiant floor system fueled by kerosene. National Grid provides the electricity and the kerosene is provided by #9 Fuels. Phase 1 Phase 2 Figure 1: Ariel view of Sunrise Acres with 1998 buildings (Phase 1) on the right and 2011 buildings (Phase 2) to the left. The Phase 2 development was completed in the summer of 2011. The total project cost was $7 million of which $4 million was built with Recovery Act funds and $3 million was NAHASDA funding. The Sunrise Acres Expansion Project was completed just southwest of the original complex. This second phase was designed by Beardsley Design Associates and provided five additional apartment buildings, a community center, parking area and pavilion on 28 acres of tribal land. Each 4,050ft2 one-story multi- family building also has its own mechanical room and is divided into four 2-bedroom apartments, comprising a total of 20 units. These new units were built with a 6” insulating concrete form (ICF) wall system and utilize a geothermal system as their primary heating and cooling source. Each building has one meter for the 4 units which registers the building’s electricity consumption. Electricity use is partially supplemented by six solar photovoltaic arrays where each array produces 5.04 kW. The Phase 2 units are part of the National Grid’s net-metering program. 2 2. Phase 1: Building Description The development is comprised of a total of six one-story buildings each approximately 3,497 ft2; two of the six buildings have two apartments, while the others have four apartments for a total of 20 units. Figure 2 is an illustration of a Phase 1 elder housing building with four units. 2.1 Building Envelope Figure 2: Phase 1 Elder Housing Walls: Each unit is separated by a 1-hour fire rated wall. The typical wall construction from the inside to outside is 1/2” gypsum board, 2x6 wood frame construction with a thermal resistance rating (R-value) of R-19 batt insulation, and exterior siding over Tyvek house wrap over 7/16” oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing. It is estimated that the wall assembly is an R-20. Roof: The roof is hipped with a 3.5:12 slope. It is constructed with wood trusses, is covered in dark brown asphalt shingles, and has R-38 insulation above the ceiling. Floor: The ground floor is a 4” reinforced concrete slab on grade with 1” polystyrene rigid insulation under the slab. The main living areas of the apartments have carpet while the kitchen, bath, and laundry room have sheet vinyl flooring. Windows: Since the window schedule was missing from the building plans provided, during the site visit the team observed that the windows are Andersen windows with double-pane glass and a vinyl frame. 3 2.2 HVAC Heating: The primary heating source for each apartment unit is a cast-iron boiler in each building, which heats a radiant floor slab system, Figure 3. Most of the boilers are a Weil Mclain Gold Oil Model P-WTGO-3 with an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of 85% and provides roughly 100,000 British thermal unit (Btu), although some of the boilers have been replaced over the last 10 years. Figure 4 shows the fuel tank outside of each building which connects to the cast-iron boiler and can hold approximately 250 gallons of kerosene. Additional heating is also supplied by space heaters used by the residents in the winter months. Cooling: The primary cooling source for each apartment is a Figure 3 & 4: Boiler & Kerosene Oil tank for a Phase 1 building. window air conditioning unit which the resident purchases and the housing authority installs. Each apartment has roughly one AC unit with an estimated cooling efficiency, or Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 8.5. Ventilation: Ventilation air is provided by building infiltration and the residents opening windows. Each bathroom has an exhaust fan originally rated at 70 CFM, but is estimated to be performing at 35-50 CFM. According to the building plans for the six Phase 1 Sunrise Acres buildings, bathroom exhaust fans and the dryer vents are located in the attic. 2.3 Domestic Hot Water Each apartment has a Reliance 40-gallon electric domestic water heater with model number 5-40-2DRT4-Z. It is estimated that each heater has a 53-gallon first hour Figure 5: DHW tank rating and uses approximately 4,773 kWh per year, Figure 5. for a Phase 1 building. 2.4 Lighting When day-lighting from the windows is insufficient, lighting in the building is provided by a 2’x4’ fluorescent light in the kitchen and light fixtures throughout the apartment. The Akwesasne Housing Authority is currently retrofitting the 60-Watt (60W) incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and the T12 fluorescent lamps with T8s. Since each of the Phase 1 apartments are the same size it was assumed that each unit uses the lighting described in Table 1. Location  Fixture Type  Watts  Operating Hours  kWh Usage  2 Bedrooms  2‐lamp 60W Inc.  240  1,460  350  Kitchen  2‐lamp 34W 4' T12  72  2,190  158  Kitchen sink  2‐lamp 20W 2' T12  50  730  37  Living room  3‐lamp 60W Inc.  180  2,920  526  Bathroom  1‐lamp 60W Inc.  60  365  22  Bathroom sink  2‐lamp 60W Inc.  120  365  44  Laundry  1‐lamp 60W Inc.  60  365  22  Hallway/stair  1‐lamp 60W Inc.  60  365  22  Exterior  1‐lamp 60W Inc.  60  1,095  66  Total Watts per Unit     902  9,855  1,245  1,245 kWh * 16 cents = $199.20  $199.20 ‐ $74.76 = $124.44  over Phase 2 costs  Table 1: Phase 1 Unit Lighting 4 2.5 Additional Plug Loads Additional plug loads in the building include typical residential appliances: TVs, washer/dryer, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and task lighting. Although the housing authority is currently replacing, refrigerators, microwaves, and washers with ENERGY STAR appliances, for the project base model it was assumed that the Phase 1 units had non-ENERGY STAR appliances. 3. Phase 2: Building Description There are a total of five one-story apartment buildings each approximately 4,050 ft2 with an identical floor plan as the Phase 1 buildings consisting of four apartments for a total of 20 units, Figure 6. The expansion project also included a training center, parking area, outdoor pavilion, and outdoor light- emitting diode (LED) lighting. Figure 6: Phase 2 Elderly Housing 3.1 Building Envelope Walls: Each unit is separated by a 2-hour fire rated wall. The typical wall construction from the inside to outside is 5/8” gypsum board over a Buildblock 6” ICF wall system, over 1/2” OSB sheathing with exterior siding. It is estimated that the wall assembly is an R-20. Roof: The roof is hipped with an 8:12 slope. It is constructed with wood trusses, is covered in a standing seam metal roof system, and has 6” of blown in cellulose insulation over 6” R-21 fiberglass batt insulation above the ceiling for a combined insulation value of R-46. Floor: The ground floor is a 4” reinforced concrete slab on grade with 2” polystyrene rigid insulation under the slab. The main living areas of the apartments have carpet while the kitchen, bath, and laundry room have sheet vinyl flooring. Windows: According to the architectural drawings, the windows are Andersen tilt-wash double hung 400 series windows with low-e glazing. Vertical blinds were also installed for all windows. 5 3.2 HVAC The Phase 2 Sunrise Acres buildings feature a number of sustainable/renewable energy features. Heating/Cooling: The primary heating and cooling source for each apartment unit is the geothermal system, which heats a radiant floor slab system, Figure 7. The system includes a total of 35 wells which serve the housing units and 9 wells which serve Figure 7: Geothermal system for the the training center. To learn about geothermal systems, see Phase 2 buildings. 10.2. Ventilation: Ventilation air is provided by heat recovery ventilators (HRVs), Figure 8. As recently constructed houses incorporate tighter energy efficient features, HRVs are used to remove indoor air pollutants that once escaped through cracks around windows and doors. Without this HRV system, the indoor air pollutants will become trapped inside the home creating an unhealthy interior environment. The HRVs provide constant air exchange to the bathrooms and from the hallway outside the bedrooms. Figure 8: HRV system for the Phase 2 buildings. 3.3 Solar Domestic Hot Water Each apartment building is provided domestic hot water (DHW) from a solar tube system, Figure 9. Each building’s mechanical room contains two tanks with a holding capacity of 80 gallons; one tank heated by the solar system, and one conventional electric hot water tank. Water from the solar holding tank flows into the electric tank as needed. This provides a 50% savings compared to the Phase 1 buildings. 3.4 Lighting Figure 9: Solar DHW for a Phase 2 building Natural lighting is provided by windows and solar tube lighting (left) and electric DHW tank (right). in each apartment, Figure 10. When day-lighting from the windows is insufficient, lighting in the building is provided by a 2’x4’ fluorescent light in the kitchen and light fixtures with CFL bulbs throughout the apartment. Since each of the Phase 2 apartments are the same size it was assumed that each unit uses the lighting described in Table 2. Figure 10: Solar tube lighting for a Phase 2 building outside (left) and inside the unit (right). 6 Location  Fixture Type  Watts  Operating Hours  kWh Usage  Living room  (5) 1‐lamp 13W CFL   65  1,460  95  Kitchen  2‐4', 1‐42", and 2‐12" T8   130  2,190  285  Hallway  (2) 2‐lamp 13W CFL  52  730  38  Laundry  1‐2' T8 fixture  13  2,920  38  Bathroom  1‐lamp & 3‐lamp 13W CFL   52  365  19  3 Closets  1‐lamp 34W 2' T8   34  365  12  Bedroom 1  2‐lamp 13W CFL  26  365  9  Bedroom 2  2‐lamp 13W CFL  26  365  9  2 Exterior  1‐lamp 13W CFL   26  1,095  28  Total Watts per Unit  424  9,855  534  534 kWh * 14 cents = $74.76  $199.20 ‐ $74.76 = $124.44 savings over Phase 1  Table 2: Phase 2 Unit Lighting 3.5 Additional Plug Loads Additional plug loads in the building include typical residential appliances: TVs, washer/dryer, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and task lighting. All appliances installed (refrigerators, microwaves, and washers) were ENERGY STAR rated. 4. Energy Analysis Approach A comprehensive energy analysis was conducted on two sites. The approach involved several steps. First, initial information was collected from the tribal housing authority about each building’s design, occupancy data, energy consumption, and energy costs. This included the following:  Building plans  Utility consumption data for the last 12 months  Geographical location and climate data  Details about unit occupancy, mechanical equipment, HVAC systems, and lighting fixtures from interviews with tribal housing authority staff and during a site visit Second, utility consumption was then compared with annual heating and cooling degree day data to determine any correlation between energy usage and climate conditions; the results were examined for anomalies. Third, during a site field visit from July 31 - August 1, 2012, data, observations, and photos were recorded. Fourth, a baseline energy model was constructed in computer modeling software that performs building energy simulations. The HVAC load design and analysis software e-Quest version 3.64 was used to model the building. This modeled data was calibrated to match the actual building energy usage from the utility bills. This baseline was then used for evaluating the energy cost reduction measures (ECRMs). The software program uses these measures to calculate the energy consumption and energy costs the building is expected to use over an entire typical weather year if the ECRMs are implemented. The weather file for e-Quest was taken from the Massena, New York, weather station. Model inputs are taken from information collected during the site visit and information provided by the client. Assumptions made for the e-Quest model include: 7  Because these units are for elders, the residents spend most of their time at home. Therefore, it is estimated that the tenants will primarily be in the units 80% of the time during the week (approximately 134 hours/week) and 20% of their time outside of the home.  Temperature settings of 72 degrees (F) during the winter; 75 degrees (F) in the summer.  0.5 air changes per hour (ACH).  Although the housing authority is currently replacing, refrigerators, microwaves, and washers with ENERGY STAR appliances, for the base model it was assumed that the Phase 1 units had non-ENERGY STAR appliances.  Lighting power density of approximately 0.90 Watts per square foot for each unit.  Bathroom exhaust fans originally rated at 70 CFM. Subsequently, computer analyses of the ECRMs were performed. The baseline model was then adjusted to reflect the implementation of these ECRMs and the computer model generated the expected energy consumption and utility costs. When necessary, some ECRMs are evaluated outside of the modeling software using spreadsheet calculations. Finally, the estimated savings and additional costs of implementing ECRMs are evaluated in a life cycle cost analysis. This analysis assumes a 20-year life cycle and calculates the internal rate of return (IRR) and the net present value (NPV) of each ECRM and a package of ECRMs. IRR is essentially the annual yield on an equivalent investment. A project is a good investment if its IRR is greater than the rate of return that could be earned by an alternative investment (other projects, bonds, bank accounts, etc.). For this project 5% as the minimum acceptable rate of return is assumed. The NPV calculation uses a discount rate to find the present value of savings occurring at a future date. The discount rate is your minimum acceptable rate of return, or your time value of money. Again, 5% is assumed. Investments have a positive NPV when the IRR is greater than the discount rate. Therefore projects with IRR greater than the discount rate and a positive NPV are considered to be good investments and are recommended. 8