Project Home Again: Making a Difference with Energy Efficiency

Members and industry guests toured Phase 2 of Project Home Again, a nonprofit development funded by the Leonard and Louise Riggio Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Riggios were profoundly affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and as a result, they are dedicated to rebuilding New Orleans and helping local families return to their homes.

Sue Hanson, a member from Wisconsin Focus on Energy, felt the tour of the site added a special touch to this year's annual CEE Industry Partners Meeting, "I thought the Project Home Again Tour was a great addition to the CEE meeting in New Orleans. So often when I attend industry-related conferences, it is just about sitting through meetings and/or sessions. It was refreshing to be able to go to actual building sites—particularly Project Home Again building sites—and talk to the various people involved in both the Project Home Again effort, as well as those involved in the construction of the homes."

All of the houses built for Project Home Again are energy efficient, integrating upgrades recommended by the Building America program of the U.S. Department of Energy and meeting the requirements of DOE Builders Challenge. Some of the efficiency features include: an enclosure that is insulated and air-sealed with high density spray foam and supplemental dehumidification, state of the art Low-E spectrally selective vinyl windows, and a high efficiency HVAC system. All of the lumber used in the Project Home Again buildings is treated to prevent moisture damage.

When members and industry partners visited the site of Phase 2, they were able to get first-hand exposure to a project that uses the energy efficiency building practices and products that they work so hard to promote throughout the United States and Canada. They visited a finished home as well as a building in progress, where they had the chance to actually see the framed walls prior to insulation and how elements of advanced framing were being used. Tour guides included the project representative, architect, and energy efficiency consultant. Dane Christensen from the National Renewable Energy Lab attended and spoke to the group about how projects like this one fit within NREL’s strategy of increasing building efficiency. Margie Lynch, a program manager who leads CEE’s residential new construction work with the Whole House Committee, organized and attended the tour. “The tour was an inspiring experience, both from the perspective of seeing how New Orleans is being rebuilt, and from witnessing the work that was put into incorporating energy efficient building practices.”

Close to 80,000 houses in New Orleans were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. A main goal of Project Home Again is to help provide housing to a neighborhood that wasn’t getting as much attention from other relief efforts—the Gentilly neighborhood. In Phase 1 of the project, 20 homes were built in Gentilly, with 12 more energy efficient homes currently under way in Phase 2. The project team includes workers from Project Home Again, TKTMJ, Inc., Green Coast Enterprises, Sustainable Architecture, LLC., National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Building Science Corporation.

"It was inspiring to see the homes being built in these New Orleans neighborhoods are including national building practices, such as those promoted through the EPA and Building America, that will provide quality, energy efficient homes to those whose dwellings became uninhabitable or were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina."
- Sue Hanson, Wisconsin Focus on Energy.