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Weatherization Plus Examples

Weatherization Plus Example - North Carolina

The Choanoke Area Development Association (CADA), a local Weatherization provider in North Carolina, is the lead agency in the Roanoke-Chowan Rebuild America Partnership. The CADA Weatherization staff is heavily involved in the multi-million dollar renovation of a historic school building into apartments for the elderly. They are being trained as "Building Owner Agents" and will audit the buildings, interact with lenders on financing, secure vendors from a qualified pool, and commission the building. They will be compensated on a fee-for-service basis built into the retrofit financing package and funded by the energy savings.

Advance the Network's Technological Capabilities

A System to Identify and Review New Technologies/Techniques Committee (SITcom) was formed to accelerate the integration of new technologies and techniques into the Weatherization Program. An on-line tool is being developed, which will help to identify and review new and emerging technologies/techniques as well as those that are developed/applied in the field, but are not widely integrated. It will provide a technology transfer mechanism for the network and a national forum for peer exchange.
A Weatherization Trainers Group was established to create an Information Exchange System for Weatherization trainers. The Trainers Group seeks to raise the state of the practice for Weatherization training by increasing communication among Weatherization trainers, thereby improving training practices and improving the integration of existing and advanced technologies. The group includes trainers from every region of the country.
In order to move towards implementing whole-house weatherization, a whole-house version of the National Energy Audit Tool (NEAT) was undertaken. The latest Windows version of NEAT with some whole-house components was released to the network March, 2001.
A Whole-House Audit Team (WHAT) was established to increase the technical base of the Weatherization network to employ whole-house energy audits. This project seeks to explore the relevant issues and make recommendations on the best ways to provide the needed tools to the weatherization network. The WHAT performs a number of activities such as: providing input to ORNL on electric bas load measures in NEAT; reviewing whole-house capabilities of existing energy audit software; developing requirements and procedures for non-NEAT states to successfully incorporate electric base load measures into their Weatherization programs; and providing input for DOE to issue policy for approval of state-submitted whole-house audits (based on requirements and procedures developed above).

A project was undertaken to examine the potential for achieving savings of 30% by the Weatherization Program, consistent with the goals of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) initiate (operated by HUD). The analysis of savings potential in four Census regions of typical and high-energy use homes indicates that there is substantial potential to increase cost-effective savings with existing technologies and that there is particular potential to achieve 30% savings in high-energy-use housing stock in colder climates.

Weatherization Plus Example - Hawaii

Hawaii's Weatherization Program utilizes advanced technology to reduce energy bills for low-income households and to reduce dependence on imported oil. Local Weatherization agencies are using leveraged funds to implement solar pilot projects. DOE Partnered with OCS, Hawaii Housing Authority, Honolulu Community Action Program, and Hawaiian Electric Company in a pilot project to install solar water heaters in low-income, multi-family dwellings in the city and county of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. After the solar measures were installed, the low-income families saved an average of $400 on their annual energy bills.

Expand Resources Available to the Network

Oak Ridge National Laboratory evaluated the potential to leverage additional weatherization resources through NOx emissions trading. The study indicates that the likely value of emissions trading allowances will be very modest and that benefits to the Weatherization Program will be minimal.
A MIC workgroup comprised of representatives from NASCSP, NCAF, D&R and DOE developed a Weatherization Public Information Campaign (PIC) to spread the message about the work being done by Weatherization agencies across the nation. The goals of the PIC are to raise awareness of Weatherization and to expand opportunities for state and local agencies to build partnerships, leverage resources, and improve services delivered to low-income families. Tools and resources developed by the group are available on the WAPTAC Web site.

Efforts are continuing in the area of electric industry restructuring to leverage additional resources. Activities are on-going with the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, the Ad Hoc Low-Income Advocates Peer Exchange, and the NCAF. The current focus in on leveraging activity in warm-climate regions and on assessing and communicating the impact of California market events to the network. Current estimates indicate that approximately $166 million per annum is being committed to low-income energy efficiency with utility rate-payer financing nationwide.

Weatherization Plus Example - New York

Weatherization technicians provide comprehensive energy efficiency solutions for low-income families and also serve as an energy efficiency resource to the community. Several local Weatherization agencies in New York are participating in an innovative utility restructuring pilot project, funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to aggregate low-income clients and act as an energy broker on behalf of this group. The goal is to secure a fair rate for low-income households and ensure the continued provision of energy efficiency and consumer support services.

Additional Efforts

Based on DOE grant, the Chicago Region Weatherization states have been working on a number of research projects designed to develop "Best Practices" for use in the Weatherization Program. The eight states in the region have also contributed funding and raised additional dollars for these projects. Areas of research focused on zonal pressure diagnostics, testing cookstoves for carbon monoxide emissions, building tightness limits, duct testing, worst case draft testing, and a train-the-trainer curriculum. The results of this project were shared at a regional conference in July 2001 and at the National Weatherization Training Conference in November 2001.

In May 2001, DOE sponsored a meeting of the 17 states with significant "hot climate" areas, to re-launch a set of initiatives targeted to their particular issues and opportunities. These initiatives will support the incorporation of more advanced technologies and techniques, including electric base load measures, which will help these states to achieve higher energy savings per household, and to leverage additional funds so they can reach more households.