The project team working on the Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) at Brian J. Honan Apartments is continuing to do amazing work at the site! The team has wrapped up all exterior work at the first of nine buildings, with the exterior work at the second and third quickly catching up to be completed. Residents of these buildings are fully moved back into their apartments and have air conditioning, fresh air ventilation, and improved ambient thermal and noise comfort. 

The team is now focused on the simultaneous exterior and interior work on the fourth building, the largest at the site. Over the next few weeks, this building will continue to follow the three-phase relocation and construction schedule for these 13 units as they upgrade the community room, laundry room, ADA accessible lift, and Eversource coordination for the site’s updated transformer. 

A resident appreciation ice cream party was held at the Brian J. Honan Apartments at the end of August to celebrate the end of summer and provide a space for residents to have any construction and relocation-related questions answered. Team members from ABCDC, Maloney Properties, Judy Cohn’s Housing and Relocation Consultants, and the contracting team were available to the 70+ residents who attended and shared delicious ice cream from Dylan and Pete’s Ice Cream Truck!  

This summer, we were also pleased to receive funding from the Department of Energy Resources’ Low-Income Services Solar Program (LISSP) to support the installation of a 70 kW AC solar system, which will cut electricity costs by $25,000 each year. Solar installation at BJH is a pivotal piece in this climate-resilient housing preservation project. 

Next up, the team will moving full steam ahead with completing all exterior work at the first three buildings, completing all three phases of the fourth and largest building, and continuing solar installation coordination of the first completed roof expected to have solar. These new all-electric systems have kept residents cool all summer, so we can’t wait to see residents transitioning into fall and winter heating!