All Blog Posts Tagged 'weatherization' (27)

A weatherization program in South Carolina that has made area homes more energy efficient could impact the local economy for decades to come. The Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency program is funded by federal stimulus dollars and has improved 179 houses for low- to moderate-income homeowners over the past year.

The work has cut utility bills and made older homes energy efficient. OCAB Community Action Agency Executive Director Calvin Wright says 12…

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A short while ago I was in a meeting that centered on creating a flexible winter weatherization plan that would have a wide degree of application.  While such plans are not uncommon in the least, I was surprised to hear that we, as inhabitants, came up as a serious aspect of energy inefficiency.

As someone who works with material and energy inefficiencies,…

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At the recent NCAF Energy Leveraging conference, one of the big questions on the minds of attendees was how do we keep over 1700 weatherization subgrantees alive after the ARRA stimulus funding runs out? As Bob Adams, Program Lead with the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, said,"We don't want [the unemployment of weatherization staff] to be our post-ARRA legacy. The crystal ball is really cloudy, but there are a lot of believers who are… Continue

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) puts a great deal of focus and concern into the area of weatherization. An abundant amount of recovery act funding went towards weatherization and in return the reduction of energy consumption. In an attempt to make the auditing and assessing aspect of weatherization readily available and understood by both experts and consumers alike the DOE has created the Home Energy Scoring Tool.

This tool is available online for free and unlike similar…

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It is commonly known that heat rises, if you need an example, open your freezer and see where the cold air goes. This same principle applies to hot air balloons; the hot air causes the balloon to rise. Many home performance professionals understand what this means for a home in the winter. Unfortunately, the average consumer may not understand how important this concept is. On average 60% of heat escapes through the roof of a house, attic or roof insulation can go a long way in reducing…

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I'm in St. Petersburg, Florida, attending the National

Community Action Foundation and Community Investment Futures Energy

Conference. Today is the conference kick-off and I'm looking

forward to learning more about how community action agencies (CAA's),

the prime movers of the US DOE weatherization program, are using energy

leveraging… Continue

Two weeks ago I was in Charleston, South Carolina for a meeting of the National Association of State Community Services Programs (NASCSP). Last week I stopped by West Coast Green taking place at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. NASCSP is a group of state managers for the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) for low-income families. West Coast Green is an interactive conference focusing on innovation for the built environment. From crawlspaces to sheep’s wool… Continue