Morris Blum: Preserving Affordable Senior Housing Through a Deep Energy Retrofit
Morris Blum Apartments is a 154-unit affordable senior housing development located in Annapolis, Maryland. Originally constructed in 1976 to serve elderly and disabled residents, Morris Blum began a deep energy retrofit (DER) and electrification process in 2023 that was completed in January 2026. New Ecology worked with the project design team to develop a data-driven DER scope of work for the property that maximizes energy and carbon emissions reductions, reduces fossil fuel consumption, improves resident comfort and indoor air quality, and works within the financial limitations of the retrofit project budget and available operating resources.
Preserving affordable senior housing while improving resident comfort and energy performance
Across Maryland, rising housing costs can make it difficult for seniors on a fixed income to find homes that are affordable, safe, and resilient. Without intentional support for this kind of housing, access to stable, sustainable homes can remain out of reach for the residents who need them most. Morris Blum Apartments represents a different kind of investment in housing, pairing long-term affordability with resilience planning and major upgrades that benefit residents. It shows that housing can be designed for superior energy performance while resident safety and comfort and affordability remain paramount.
- Affordability: 154 units available to senior residents that preserve affordability while improving building performance over time
- Performance: 41% reduction in site energy use intensity, 60% reduction in gas usage
- Resident Wellbeing: Superior air sealing, and ventilation create indoor environments that reduce pollutants, improve comfort, and support resident wellbeing over time
- Housing Stability & Affordability: Preserved and retrofitted affordable, senior housing, creating housing that is healthier, more stable, and more affordable to live in over time.
- Energy Performance & Cost Reduction: Upgraded building systems to improve performance, reducing energy cost burdens on residents and lowering operating costs for owners.
- Climate Resilience & Risk Reduction: Improved building performance, ventilation, and system reliability, helping the building to better withstand extreme weather and energy disruptions.
- Systems Change & Replication: Combined incentives, financing, and technical assistance into a replicable, preservation-first model that aligns housing, energy, and delivery systems to strengthen long-term affordability
This work shows how deep energy retrofit and electrification can be used to truly serve affordable multifamily housing. By pairing financial incentives with deep technical assistance and a preservation-first lens, New Ecology helps ensure that climate and energy investments strengthen housing stability rather than create new risks. Morris Blum Apartments offers a clear example of how affordability and ambitious energy goals can be pursued together, aligning energy efficiency, resilience, and long-term affordability.
Before (above) and after (right):
Morris Blum converted enormous, 70’s era space-heating boilers to new, all-electric heat pumps that are controlled within each unit by residents.
The new systems, combined with upgraded air sealing, keeps outside air from coming inside and inside air from leaking out, maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures year-round.
Partners include The Community Builders and participating contractors.
