Case Study · Real Estate Transactions·Erie, PA · 2025
An Erie PA commercial property manager retained building-performance diagnostics on a 1968-construction office building. Blower-door + thermal imaging + duct-blaster testing identified envelope and duct leakage paths that explained chronic comfort complaints + high heating costs.
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A 14,000 sq ft 1968-construction Erie PA commercial office building (3 stories) with chronic occupant comfort complaints (cold corner offices in winter, hot south-facing offices in summer) and unusually-high natural gas heating costs ($14,000-$16,000 annually). The property manager engaged us for envelope and HVAC diagnostics as the first step before deciding on a retrofit scope and budget.
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Pre-test combustion-safety check on the building's gas-fired hot-water boilers (CO2 stack analysis, manometer differential testing). Blower-door whole-building depressurization test using a Minneapolis BlowerDoor system, depressurizing to -50 Pa for measurement. Duct-blaster test on the air-handler system. Thermal imaging (FLIR T620) of the building envelope during depressurization at -25 Pa to identify leakage paths. PFT (perfluorocarbon tracer) measurements at 5 occupant zones to quantify air exchange rate per zone.
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Whole-building leakage: 11.4 ACH50 (air changes per hour at 50 Pa). Significantly higher than the 6-8 ACH50 target for commercial buildings of this era and orientation. Thermal imaging during depressurization identified specific leakage paths: 3 disused chimney penetrations in the upper floor not properly sealed; major air-leakage at the original (1968) window frame perimeters on the east and west facades; uninsulated rim-joist gaps on the basement perimeter; duct system leakage at the basement plenum estimated at 22% of supply air volume per duct-blaster test.
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Detailed engineering report identified prioritized retrofit scope: chimney sealing + insulation ($2,800); rim-joist spray foam ($4,400); duct plenum sealing with mastic + UL-181 tape ($1,800); window-frame caulking + weatherstripping ($3,200); estimated total retrofit cost $12,200. Modeled energy savings: $4,200 per year heating + $800 per year cooling, payback period 2.4 years. Modeled post-retrofit ACH50: 5.8 (within commercial target range).
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Property manager implemented the retrofit over 4 months with weatherization contractors selected from our recommended-contractor list. We returned 6 weeks after retrofit completion for verification blower-door + duct-blaster testing. Measured post-retrofit ACH50: 5.8 (matching the engineering target). Duct leakage reduced to 6% of supply air volume.
Outcome
First full heating season post-retrofit: natural gas costs dropped to $9,400 from the prior $14,200 average. Actual savings $4,800 in Year 1, slightly exceeding the modeled $4,200. Occupant comfort complaints in the previously-cold corner offices resolved. Payback period on the $12,200 retrofit is on track for 2.3 years actual vs 2.4 years modeled.
— — Takeaway
Commercial building diagnostics with blower-door + thermal imaging + duct-blaster testing produces engineering-grade retrofit scopes that pay back within 2-4 years on most 1960s-1980s-construction Erie PA buildings. The diagnostic engagement is the highest-ROI first step before committing to retrofit capital. Property managers consistently underestimate the savings opportunity without the diagnostic data.
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Same protocol applied across different scenarios. Browse the full archive or explore the real estate transactions hub.
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