East Liberty Presbyterian Church Energy Retrofit

In 2014, BPA helped to lead what was likely the largest envelope air leakage test in the Pittsburgh, PA region to date.  East Liberty Presbyterian Church had decided to renovate their 80-year-old, cathedral-size building to improve its energy efficiency and reduce their operating costs. 

The project team used an energy modeling process to determine the optimal improvement measures for the retrofit.  The envelope air leakage test was required to establish the building’s baseline air leakage rate, which is a major factor in energy use.  Convening a large group of building energy practitioners, the team used (16) blower doors controlled by a central computer operated by BPA staff. 

BPA also compiled the test data and wrote the report interpreting the test results, in compliance with industry standard testing protocols.  BPA’s report also included recommendations for specific measures to improve the building’s air tightness.  The finished project achieved a 30% improvement in energy efficiency.