Autumn Gardens - City of Lockport Housing Authority
Lockport, NY
-
US Northeastern Climate Cold Winters
-
Ground Source Heat Pump via Vertical
Loop System -
9 Buildings
(72) ~500sqft Apartments
2,000 sqft Recreational Facility
An Energy Upgrade for Senior Residents in Lockport
Autumn Gardens is a 72-unit affordable senior housing community in Lockport, NY, that underwent a major energy-efficiency upgrade in 2016. The project was prompted to improve resident comfort and reduce operating costs by replacing the electric resistance heating and window air-conditioning units. In it's place a geothermal system was installed that would take care of heating, cooling, and domestic hot water.
"The Autumn Gardens geothermal heat pump system was a good investment for CLHA and its residents, saving money on utility bills and completing drilling with minimal disruption to tenants."
Jeff Haag, Modernization Coordinator/Maintenance Supervisor, City of Lockport Housing Authority
- U.S. Department of Energy, Geothermal Heat Pump Case Study
.png)
Geothermal System
Autumn Garden's geothermal system was engineered with a thoughtful, decentralized design, meaning each building operates independently on its own system. This approach significantly increases reliability where if one building experiences a failure, the remaining buildings aren't impacted. Four boreholes serve each residential building while three serve the administrative building, efficiently providing heating, cooling, and domestic hot water to all 72 units across 9 buildings.
Initially, the City of Lockport Housing Authority weighed various energy alternatives, including natural gas, solar, and wind; before ultimately settling on geothermal for tenant comfort and long-term cost-effectiveness. The total project cost was $1.7 million, offset by a $93,000 NYSERDA rebate and capital fund grants from U.S. Housing and Urban Development.
Compared to a centralized model, the decentralized approach that was installed at Autumn Gardens quickly proved to be more favorable by reducing upfront costs by 30% and operating costs by 12%. Just one year after completion, data revealed a 40.7% reduction in total annual site energy use and roughly $24,000 in yearly savings.
9 Senior Affordable Housing Buildings
2,000sqft Administrative Building
39 Boreholes, 225-250ft deep
Featuring:
- (162) 3/4-Ton Console Style Forced Air Heat Pumps
- (9) 2-Ton Water-to-Water Heat Pumps
- (10) Variable-Speed Flow Center
- (1) 5-Ton 7 Series Variable Speed Forced Air Heat Pump
