Energy Efficiency – Green Housing
The Issue and Background
The low-income housing stock tends to be old, in poor condition, and energy in-efficient. As a result, the families in these homes spend three times the average for heating and electricity. In addition, due to the recent housing crisis and economic downturn, the 19 million low-income owners of single-family houses are experiencing unprecedented numbers of utility shutoffs, applications for emergency energy assistance, and foreclosures.
Congress has responded by doubling the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and by pouring $5 billion into Weatherization Assistance for paid contractors to weatherize two million homes. But that still leaves the overwhelming majority of 19 million low-income homeowners literally in the cold. Our country still must confront the huge gap in addressing the energy efficiency needs of affordable housing.
Rebuilding Together is helping to fill that gap with a “one-stop” solution that adds energy upgrades to a whole house rehab. Rebuilding Together is the largest nonprofit that repairs and rehabs low-income houses at no cost to the homeowner, completing over 10,000 homes and community centers annually. Most of our projects address the home’s major health, safety and accessibility needs, such as repairing or replacing roofs, plumbing, electrical, windows, stairs, floors and porches, as well as installing grab bars, better lighting, and wheelchair ramps for elderly homeowners.
In 2005, we launched our Green Housing Initiative and trained a small cadre of local affiliates to incorporate cost-effective energy upgrades into their existing renovations. By collaborating with knowledgeable volunteers, skilled trades organizations, community groups, churches, and local businesses, these affiliates undertook many of the following energy upgrades:
• Insulating attics, crawl spaces, hot water pipes and heating ducts
• Sealing, repairing or replacing windows and exterior doors
• Repairing furnaces and water heaters and installing water heater blankets
• Installing compact fluorescent light bulbs and programmable thermostats, and
• Depending on the budget, installing high efficiency furnaces, water heaters and other appliances
Preliminary data on our first 40 pilot homes shows that a “light upgrade” (typically CFLs, caulking and some insulation) cut energy usage 15-20%, while a “heavy” project (new windows and HVAC) reduced consumption 25-35%. We produced these savings very cost effectively because for every $1 spent, we raised $3-$4 of volunteer skilled and non-skilled labor and donated reduced-cost materials. We completed the 40 pilot houses using 1503 volunteers and $136,650 in donated materials and products.
Only the largest of Rebuilding Together affiliates can undertake energy efficiency retrofits in their projects, due to insufficient training and a lack of resources. Therefore, we have begun a corporate fundraising program to expand this capacity. If we can fully train our entire network, we project that within five years, we can undertake energy retrofits for all 10,000 homes we rehab each year while also making them more safe, accessible, and livable.
Federal Legislation
Fully training and supporting all of our 200 affiliates to do “green rehab” and the necessary program assessment and verification is a larger undertaking than our corporate donor base has ever taken on. Hence, we have begun exploring whether and how we can match our corporate donations with federal funds to accelerate this process. However, because we address all of the home’s major health and safety problems, use volunteers and donated/discounted materials, and work in nearly every state, our model does not fit within the statutory confines of the Weatherization Program.
Other like-minded housing nonprofits also fall outside current federal programs, so we will partner with them to advance the idea of a Green Affordable Housing Nonprofit Partnership Demonstration Program for inclusion in comprehensive energy legislation that Congress will likely take up later this year.
Such a program could match federal funding with private funding to establish nationwide comprehensive training, technical assistance, and evaluation programs on energy efficient home renovation. With our large volunteer network and corporate sponsors, we can leverage federal dollars several-fold to amplify their impact.
Rebuilding Together’s Position
When energy legislation begins taking shape, we ask that you work with us to include a DOE Green Affordable Housing Nonprofit Partnership Demonstration Program.