Safeguarding Summer Memories: Evaluating Energy Efficiency Retrofits for Slumber Falls Camp

Abstract

Summer camps create opportunities for young people to engage with their outdoor worlds, enabling them to become environmentally responsible citizens. For 70 years, Slumber Falls Camp (SFC) has been a haven for thousands of campers to strengthen their relationships with themselves, their communities, and nature. To preserve this experience for future generations, we collaborated with SFC to enhance energy efficiency, lower energy costs, and winterize facilities against unusual seasonal changes in the Texas climate. We synthesized research, site visits, energy assessments, and cost analyses to evaluate three investment scenarios. Our findings reveal that upgrades to lighting, building materials, appliances, and heating & cooling equipment yield significant improvements. Our results guide viable strategies for energy efficiency retrofits, and our recommendations support SFC’s commitment to environmental stewardship.