[Durham INC] Durham Home Energy Savings Program Application Deadline July 31

[Blalock, Amy]

City of Durham

County of Durham

 

Joint News Release

 

For Immediate Release: July 10, 2012

News Media Contacts:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist, City of Durham

(919) 560-4123, ext. 11253

Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

 

Dawn D. Dudley

Public  Information Specialist, County of Durham

(919) 560-0008

Dawn.Dudley at DurhamCountyNC.gov

 

 

Durham to Soon Reach Home Energy Savings Program Goal

July 31st Cut-Off Date for Homes to Apply to Receive Energy Improvements


 

DURHAM, N.C. - Only a few spots are left in the first-come, first served
Durham Home Energy Savings Program, and homeowners looking to save
energy and money should apply before the July 31 deadline.

 

The program has already completed 650 homes and is on target to meet its
goal of 700 homes. With only 50 slots left in this program, this is the
last chance for homeowners to apply for subsidized energy improvements.

 

The Durham Home Energy Savings Program, overseen by the Durham
City-County Sustainability Office and the City's Community Development
Department, has been working to increase energy efficiency to save
homeowners on their energy bills while reducing harmful greenhouse gas
emissions. 

 

According to Tobin Freid, manager for the Durham City-County
Sustainability Office, the program is one of many designed to help
Durham meet its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan, which calls for
a 30 percent reduction in emissions from residences, businesses, and
institutions by 2030. 

 

"The annual reduction in greenhouse gases from these retrofits is
roughly the same as the emissions from 174 homes for a whole year or
taking 274 cars off the road. This improves air quality and reduces
health care costs due to pollution," Freid said. "We are anticipating
that a household can reduce their energy use by 15 percent in one year,
which translates to a savings of over $300 in just the first year. With
the 650 homes that have received retrofits so far, we're estimating a
total savings of $280,000 for these families in just the first year
alone. To top it off, the retrofits themselves have created local green
jobs, so this program is really an all-around win for the environment,
the homeowner, and the local economy."

 

Qualifying homes will receive a variety of targeted energy improvements
including sealing air leaks in heating and air conditioning ductwork;
installing programmable thermostats; sealing air leaks in the attic
floor and the crawlspace ceiling; installing attic insulation;
installing high-efficiency showerheads and faucet aerators; and
installing carbon monoxide detectors. The retrofits have a market value
of between $800 and $2,000 depending on the size and characteristics of
the house. 

 

To qualify, homes must be: 

*         Located in the city or county of Durham

*         2,300 square feet or less of heated space

*         No unvented gas, propane, oil, or wood appliances in the
living space

*         No major structural, moisture, or hazardous materials issues

*         Rental property must have approval from the landlord and
tenants

*         Occupants must agree to allow access to energy use data for
one year prior and two years after the retrofits

*         Occupants or landlords must provide the contractor with the
$400 payment at the time of the initial home assessment with the Durham
Home Energy Savings Program paying up to an additional $1,600 per house

*         Occupants must be available to be home when contractors come
to do the work (estimated two visits)

*         Occupants must remove contents of attics and/or crawlspaces to
allow contractor access to those spaces

*         Occupants and landlords must be current on all local taxes

 

The Durham Home Energy Savings Program is funded by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Climate Showcase Communities grant and
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program aligns with the
City's Strategic Plan Goal Three (Thriving, Livable Neighborhoods) and
the County's Strategic Plan Goal Four (Environmental Stewardship).

 

To apply online, or for more information on the Durham Home Energy
Savings Program, visit http://www.GreenerDurham.net, email 
Energy at DurhamNC.gov, or contact Freid at (919) 560-7999.

 

For more information on the Durham City-County Sustainability Office,
visit http://www.GreenerDurham.net, "like" on Facebook at 
http://www.Facebook.com/GreenerDurham.net, or "follow" on Twitter at 
http://Twitter.com/GreenerDurham.  

 

###

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20120710/4bcf4393/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 2932 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20120710/4bcf4393/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 6365 bytes
Desc: image002.png
URL: <http://rtpnet.org/pipermail/inc-list/attachments/20120710/4bcf4393/attachment.png>