HomeAid Atlanta, the official charity of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, will soon begin an energy-efficient retrofit of a Decatur home.

This project is the first for HomeAid America’s National Environmental Sustainability Program. Funded by a $600,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, the program aims to benefit existing facilities for the homeless by retrofitting and installing energy-efficient upgrades.

The home to be retrofitted is operated by Decatur Cooperative Ministry, which is a nonprofit organization serving homeless families in the Decatur and DeKalb area. The partnership between DCM and HomeAid is a longstanding one. The two are united in their efforts to provide for the temporarily homeless.

HomeAid has also partnered with WellHome, an affiliate of Masco Home Services, to complete the green retrofit. Projects that will be tackled include air sealing, insulating the attic and crawl space, adding a radiant barrier to the roof rafters, tightening ducts, installing energy-efficient lighting and repairing the roof. General Electric has donated energy-efficient lighting and home appliances that will also be installed to make the house greener.

Upon completion, the increased energy-efficiency of the home will result in lower utility bills. It is expected that these modifications will reduce the home’s energy usage by approximately 40 percent.

For more information about HomeAid Atlanta or the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, visit the organizations online.