From: Papadakis, Maria
Subject: Weatherization

Greetings Everyone!

Leah Rosenwasser shared your distribution list with me; she was following up on your weatherization discussion at the Sustainability Summit on Saturday. I read through the group summary/posting on the web and wanted to share some information with you.

1) I understand that we are talking about two different things: (A) the formal weatherization assistance program, and (B) ways to effectively improve the energy efficiency and conservation of a home.

A) The Weatherization Assistance Program is funded by the US Department of Energy. Money is allocated to the states to administer the programs. In Virginia, the administering agency is the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

The Weatherization Program is a needs-based program, and eligibility is based on income (federal poverty level). The stimulus initiative is putting millions of additional dollars into weatherization programs, and eligibility levels were increased to 200% of the poverty level. So, the good news is that more money is available and more families will qualify. Priority is given to the elderly, the disabled, and families with children.

Both renters and homeowners can apply for weatherization funds. For Harrisonburg-Rockingham, the weatherization program is administered by the Community Energy Conservation Program. They work with the Department of Social Services here in Harrisonburg/Rockingham. Information about the weatherization program is provided by DSS and by word of mouth. One really big thing to be explored is better “advertising” of weatherization assistance. Note, however, that there is a lot of uncertainty right now about the stimulus money: how much, when it is coming, when it must be spent by, how much can be allocated to administrative costs vs. program funds, etc.

People who want weatherization assistance apply directly to the Community Energy Conservation Program. Once approved, CEAP contracts with authorized auditors/installers/service providers and arranges to have improvements done, etc. The contact information for this organization is:

Community Energy Conservation Program
1819 Broadway
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Contact: Linda Rayner
Phone: (434) 293-3777
E-mail: lrcecp@aol.com

The URL for the state weatherization assistance program is at http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/HousingPreservationRehabilitation/Weatherization_Assistance.htm.

The Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services and the Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability here at JMU are developing new outreach strategies and ideas for weatherization assistance in our area. Leah and IIHHS will take the lead in getting all of the interested folks from Saturday together to talk about what we might do to enhance/facilitate weatherization assistance locally.

B) With respect to what can be done to improve energy efficiency and conservation in our homes, there are several things to point out……

– The building code of Virginia now (as of 2006) mandates the energy efficiency and conservation measures specified in the International Energy Conservation Code. There are in fact a variety of standards with respect to residential energy performance. So in terms of improving a home’s energy performance, there are a variety of formal as well as suggested goals to strive for.

– There is a federal residential tax credit that covers a wide variety of home efficiency and conservation measures that includes costs of things typically included in “weatherization,” including insulation and replacement doors and windows.

– Many insurance companies will offer a premium discount for certain kinds of energy upgrades. State Farm offers one for HVAC and other types of heating and cooling equipment.

– Several localities in Virginia offer property tax breaks for homeowners that adopt certain energy efficiency and conservation measures. This won’t help renters, but it may be a way of leveraging landlords with respect to energy use.

– There are lots of resources for buttoning up a house or for saving energy. A really good basic start is the Virginia Energy Saver’s Guide at http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/de/consumerinfo/energysaverhandbook.shtml.

Hope this helps. Maria
************************************************************
Dr. Maria Papadakis
Dept. of Integrated Science and Technology and Geographic Science
James Madison University
MSC 4310
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Phone: 540-568-8142
email: papadamc@jmu.edu

Here’s our group! It was great to meet all of you and sense the healthy interest in the concern of getting homes better insulated.

Thanks, Benjamin, for the notes of our discussion at http://www.harrisonburgsummits.com

Just to review things we concluded that we want to do, for starters:

1. Talk with folks at the Harrisonburg Electric Commission (and perhaps Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative) about promoting weatherization instead of building addition production capacity. (To be initiated by Johann.)

2. Contact SPARK in Charlottesville to see about getting a Harrisonburg rep for the services they provide for the region. (To be initiated by Earl.)

3. Research web info for public funds and programs available for weatherization, particularly for folks with low income. (To be initiated by Sam.)

4. Thanks Harrisonburg Housing Authority folks for the good work they’re doing in rehab-ing houses on Kelly Street. (All of us.)

5. Write and make information available (brochure? ad in newspaper?) to circulate on simple steps to vastly increase weatherization of houses. (Any takers?)

Well, great first steps. If you have information, ideas, questions to share with this group, please send it to the above addresses, or send it to me and I’ll pass it along.

Thanks, folks… Earl Martin