The Arlington 2-family is a project which started as a man with a dream, and expanded to include the Synergy Construction, Building Science Corp, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, NStar, consultants, sponsors, a wide swath of America's press corp, references in U.S. congressional committees, and a spark which launched hundreds of Deep Energy Retrofits projects across the country.
The Problem:
Cold drafty house with envelope insulation pocked with voids. Eroded cedar shingles and rotted trim needing replacement, all painted, the client said, in a "repulsive yellowish green color". The building's 2 legacy steam boilers used 1082 gallons of home heating oil per year.
The Concord 4-square project is a research study in methods and materials for Deep Energy Retrofits which Synergy completed in conjunction with Building Science Corporation and their chief building scientists. Very early in this new wave of retrofits, new theories were put into practice to answer the question, can a 50% reduction in energy usage be met with existing housing. We far surpassed this modest goal, and laid the ground work for the most popular form of Deep Energy Retrofit, exterior application of rigid foam.
