When Habitat for Humanity (HFH) initiated its Hope Crossing low-income housing project in Oklahama City last summer, local building volunteers came equipped with screwdrivers and hammers. Alliance Associate ClimateMaster, the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of water-source and geothermal heat pumps, brought a different tool: a blueprint for energy-efficient technology that would make Hope Crossing the largest green – and only LEED-certified – HFH community in the country.

“We wanted to share our success within our community, [to give] a gift that would provide benefits year after year long into the future,” said Dan Ellis, president of ClimateMaster, Inc. The company donated and installed geothermal heat pump systems for the project, but didn't stop there; it also recruited regional electric utility OG&E to upgrade the homes’ windows, insulation and lighting, maximizing their energy efficiency. The combined effort cut residents’ annual energy consumption by almost 80 percent, resulting in welcome cost savings: “The people at the entry-level of housing can least afford high energy costs,” Ellis asserted.

During the Hope Crossing project, Ellis’s team saw an opportunity to transform the residential buildings sector and promote energy efficiency beyond the affordable housing market. “We knew it could be done and we felt that this needed to be demonstrated on a large-scale basis. After all, if HFH homes can be this efficient, why can’t any home?” Ellis asked. Already, Ellis has noted a shift in business models and construction projects in the area: “We now have local builders emulating the exact energy savings components that we deployed in the HFH project.”

In the aftermath of hard-hitting real estate and financial crises, does ClimateMaster still consider investing in affordable low-energy housing a savvy endeavor? “We have never looked back on this decision,” Ellis confirmed. “This is an investment in our community, and an investment in our future.”

Read more about ClimateMaster's work in Hope Crossing.

Read more about Habitat for Humanity's work in Oklahoma and nationwide.

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