The energy retrofit of the Sasha Bruce House has officially begun! The old vinyl windows on the front of the home, which were in poor condition and a source of air leakage, were replaced with new double pane vinyl windows with a U-factor of 0.32. After the windows were set in place, they were caulked from the inside along the trim. Tomorrow, the remaining windows will be installed (20 total on the south side of the building), and all of the windows will be spray foamed and flashed from the exterior, to enhance air sealing and ensure that the windows are able to effectively shed water.
Each of the windows was installed with a state data logger to monitor window operation (open/closed). These data will complement data being collected on indoor temperature, outdoor temperature, and heat pump energy use to help us determine if the new heat pumps are operating as efficiently as expected. Also, the window data loggers will tell us if the windows are being operated as a complement to the air source heat pumps (e.g. taking advantage of cool outdoor temperatures for air conditioning), or if the open windows are simply making the heat pump work harder (e.g., open while it’s hot outside and the heat pump is running).
On deck: Tuesday should bring the completion of the window installation and the installation of the first of two high efficiency air source heat pumps.
