Energy Efficiency Empowerment (E3) is proud to support and collaborate with Hilltop Alliance on its vacant home rehabilitation projects.
First result of 2026: we have completed an evaluation of the energy savings and overall home performance of a 2,000-square-foot rehab project in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood.
Hilltop Alliance incorporated high-performance triple-pane windows, a dual-fuel heating system, pairing gas furnace with a 1.5 ton heat pump, and a heat pump water heater into the project. The switchover temperature when the furnace takes over was set at 36F, which appears to be economically conservative (lower cost for homeowner), even if the heat pump might be able to heat the home down to 22F without furnace’s help. A wide 4’’ pleated filter installed instead of typical 1” filter results in lower static pressure in the ducts – which is better for energy efficiency. Third floor conditioning is provided by a Breeze33 through-wall heat pump unit.
E3 contributed additional improvements, including enhanced air sealing, attic insulation, crawl space encapsulation, and basement waterproofing—all essential elements of a higher-performing, healthy home.
Compared to its pre-rehabilitation condition, the home’s Home Energy Score improved from 2 to 6 (with 10 being the highest possible score), and the project achieved an impressive 48% reduction in projected energy use.
Congratulations to Hilltop Alliance and everyone involved in this project.
A few illustrations of the details at this Knoxville project:
