Historic Augusta Sustainability Demonstration Project
Historic Augusta owns two adjacent historic properties totaling approximately 12,000 square feet of climate controlled space. We are working to weatherize and insulate the Joseph R. Lamar Boyhood Home, our headquarters, in order to save costs on energy consumption thereby becoming more sustainable; and to demonstrate best practices on older and historic homes and buildings.
Historic Augusta is grateful to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Richard and Julia Moe Family Fund grant, and the Creel-Harison Foundation for making this demonstration project possible.
Click through to view the most recent graphs showing our utility expense and usage.
Studies over the past few years have shown that almost as much efficiency can be achieved by using best practices for historic homes through proper weatherization techniques, by maximizing insulation in walls and attics, and by installing interior storm windows that do not detract from the character-defining features of the building. By factoring in the time it takes to receive payback on investment, studies show that it often makes far more economic sense to weatherize and insulate at a lower cost, than to replace historic windows that have stood the test of time. Vinyl replacement windows have a limited lifespan. It is a questionable “green” practice to place superior old-growth wooden windows in a land-fill when they can continue to serve in their original capacity with proper repairs and maintenance.
The first step in our project is to install interior storm windows in the Joseph R. Lamar Boyhood Home. We have used two companies, Innerglass and Indow Window who has a representative, Super Green Solutions, in Atlanta, to build two different styles of interior storms for our historic windows.
We have been monitoring the utility bills each month to evaluate the measurable outcomes of the windows. We will compile the monthly statements and post the information.
To review historic weather information visit this webpage, U.S. Climate Data.
We encourage anyone who is interested in seeing our interior storm windows or hearing about our process in locating companies that offer these types of products.