Summary: 91 units. Apartment complex
Results: Section 45L Tax Credits for 2011 = $196,000.

Details: The 98-unit senior apartment complex in Panorama City, California, comprised of 2 buildings that are each no more than 3 stories above grade. 98 dwelling units were leased to residents in 2011. The property is located in Climate Zone 3B as defined by the Department of Energy and classified as a warm-dry climate zone relative to the rest of the country. As such, most of the property’s energy use comes from cooling.

Our energy analysis found that 98 of the 98 dwelling units leased in 2011 provided a level of heating and cooling energy consumption that is at least 50 percent below that of a reference dwelling unit constructed in accordance with the standards of Section 404 of the 2004 Supplement to the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code. Furthermore, all 98 of the qualifying dwelling units have building envelope component improvements that provide for a level of heating and cooling energy consumption that is at least 10 percent below that of a reference dwelling unit as required by the tax code.

Both heating and cooling for the apartment complex in Panorama City, California, are provided through air-cooled heat pumps. Also, each fan coil unit contains a TXV valve and each air handling unit is matched in size with an appropriate corresponding air conditioner. Both are considered energy efficient measures in regions such as Climate Zone 3B.

Ductwork is also considered energy efficient since it is located within each conditioned space of the development. This practice limits duct losses and maximizes the amount of conditioned air being transferred into the living space. Also, ductwork was installed in such a way that it was able to pass duct leakage testing, ensuring minimum losses.

Envelope features found in the apartment complex in Panorama City, California, that helped to reduce the heating and cooling consumption of each qualifying dwelling unit included the use of insulation with high R-values and fenestration with low U-factors and solar heat gain coefficients. These factors, along with a low window-to-floor area ratio and high efficiency heat pumps all contributed to an overall increase in each of the dwelling unit’s energy efficiency.

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