A building-envelope retrofit for the Hunt Community in Nashua, NH included energy recovery ventilator, condensing boiler, and domestic hot water heater qualified. (Courtesy images)

Michael J. Daley

The Hunt Community in Nashua, New Hampshire (https://silverstoneliving.org/hunt_community/) is a continuing care retirement campus offering a blend of independent and assisted living, and skilled nursing care all at one location, helping to provide a continuum for a person’s golden years. The Hunt Community is owned by Silverstone Living, a non-profit organization that operates several senior living communities in New Hampshire.

Interior space.

In recent years, the trend among seniors desiring two-bedroom independent living apartments was creating a struggle for The Hunt Community to attract new residents when they often had only one-bedroom units available. The Hunt Community solved this by the building of a new addition of living spaces. In concert with that step, they did not neglect their commitment to the comfort of current residents who were complaining of cold and drafts from the older aluminum-framed windows in the existing Munroe Building. Also, the boiler plant in the building was outdated. They made an investment in an efficiency upgrade for the older building part of the new project, including replacement of most windows with new double-glazed vinyl windows and the installation of a new boiler plant. To help with the finances of two such major endeavors, they partnered with Liberty, its natural gas supplier, and the NHSaves® program. The program makes it possible for New Hampshire residents, businesses and municipalities to reduce their energy burden by becoming more energy efficient by offering incentives and rebates for energy efficient projects.

In the case of the Munroe building renovations at The Hunt Community, Liberty representatives evaluated each aspect of the project for eligibility to receive incentive funding. These elements included a building-envelope retrofit, energy recovery ventilator, condensing boiler, and domestic hot water heater which qualified for incentive payments totaling 5% of total project costs. Besides those upfront savings to The Hunt Community, the Munroe building will now use 739 MMBtus less natural gas per year.

Beyond this immediate benefit to a New Hampshire business and the environment, there were ripple benefits to the entire regional economy. The Hunt Community selected Harvey Construction Corporation as the construction manager (www.harveyconstruction.com). Eckhardt & Johnson (https://eckhardtjohnson.com/) from Hooksett, NH, performed the HVAC and plumbing work. The windows were supplied by Lansing Building Products (https://lansingbp.com/why-lansing/) and installed by Pelcon General Contractors of Bow, NH (https://pelcongcinc.com/).

Now that the construction dust has settled, the beans all counted, and less carbon is being added to the atmosphere, it is good to recall the primary goal: the residents will be enjoying a cozier winter season than they previously experienced.