NOVEMBER 5, 2009 ISSUE
WAMY Hosts Weatherization Day Media Blitz October 30
WAMY hosted a Weatherization Day Media Blitz in Deep Gap on Friday, October 30, demonstrating tests to determine what measures are needed to weatherize a home. From left to right are Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93); Sen. Steve Goss (D-45); Scott Eggers of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation; Andy Bryant, WAMY’s weatherization director; Andrea Voisey, homeowner; Andre Largente and Gardner Hoover, energy auditors with WAMY; and Watauga County Commissioner Winston Kinsey. Photo by Corinne Saunders
WAMY (Watauga, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey) Community Action, Inc., hosted a Weatherization Day Media Blitz on Friday, October 30, performing an energy audit on an the approximately 11-year-old house, located at 207 Jenwil Drive in Deep Gap. During the audit, WAMY personnel explained the process—and the organization’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)—to local elected officials and to High Country Press.
WAP provides free weatherization services to homeowners whose income falls a certain percentage below the poverty line, and works in order of a priority list that is established by the organization.
Rep. Cullie Tarleton (D-93), Sen. Steve Goss (D-45) and Watauga County Commissioner Winston Kinsey attended, as did Scott Eggers—who, representing Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, brought energy efficient fluorescent lightbulbs for the group.
“This is an important program,” Tarleton said of WAP. “The North Carolina Energy Office has millions of stimulus dollars earmarked for weatherization.”
Funds have limited the number of homes able to be weatherized in the past, and the additional funding will allow the program to “reach a little farther,” he added.
Goss agreed and said, “With a lot of people struggling right now in the district and state, it’s important to let them know we’re right there with them.”
WAMY, whose standard budget comes from the State Energy Office, will receive an additional $1.7 million in stimulus funding for weatherization projects, which will be provided in set allotments through 2012.
WAMY Weatherization Director Andy Bryant explains that the blow door, once set up in a home where all other windows and doors are closed, measures how quickly air escapes a house. Photo by Corinne Saunders
The organization, which has weatherized 37 houses since July 1, anticipates weatherizing a total of 400 homes in its four-county area of operation through December 2012, said Andy Bryant, WAMY’s weatherization director.
“With the stimulus money, we will be able to spend up to $6,500 per house, which is a lot more than we had been able to [spend previously],” Bryant said, adding that he expects the first of the stimulus money to arrive in mid-November.
The energy audit measures how much and how quickly air leaves the house, and one of the main measuring devices is the blow door, which pushes outside air indoors with a fan and measures air leaving the house in cubic feet per minute.
“The blow door allows us to see how tight the house is,” Bryant said.
The house subjected to the energy audit on Friday lost 2,250 cubic feet of air per minute—“not bad,” Bryant said, adding that the target loss for a house of its size is 2,000 cubic feet per minute, and the minimum ventilation ratio is 1,500 cubic feet per minute.
“We see a lot of old trailers and farmhouses that leak quite a bit more,” Bryant said, adding that often they find there is insufficient insulation in the attics and floor, enabling them to drastically improve the homes by adding insulation.
In each county that WAMY serves, it has developed relationships with plumbers, electricians and HVAC contractors, who perform the weatherization work on the homes, Bryant said.
“The contractor tests [air loss with the blow door] while sealing to see what difference he’s making,” he added.
A new piece of equipment WAMY was able to purchase through stimulus funding is an infrared camera, which, when pointed at various places along walls, shows temperature changes that suggest where insulation might be missing or not be as thick as in other places, Bryant explained.
In the case of this home, the infrared camera demonstrated that the insulation was very thin along the eaves.
Andre Largente, an energy auditor with WAMY, explains the process to Sen. Steve Goss (D-45) as he tests the air leakage of a duct in a home’s bathroom on October 30, as part of a Weatherization Day Media Blitz. Photo by Corinne Saunders
Before WAMY personnel obtained this camera, they had to drill holes in walls or take a clients’ word regarding the quality of insulation in a house’s walls, Bryant said.
Other weatherization measures include air sealing, by way of caulk, foam or weather stripping, and vapor sealing, which keeps moisture away from insulation.
An additional weatherization test is performed on the house’s ducts and shows “how closely related the ducts are to the house,” said Andre Largente, an energy auditor with WAMY.
The higher the number displayed during the test, the more leakage is being caused by the ducts, which might need to be sealed or resealed, Largente explained.
One of the ducts in the Deep Gap home was allowing more airflow than it should, and the tests performed demonstrated that even with a new house, significant weatherization improvements can be made, Bryant said.
Andrea Voisey, 1.5-year-long owner of the home that was audited, said she heard about the program from a neighbor who works for WAMY, and she filled out the WAP application over the summer.
“I’m excited,” Voisey said of the weatherization improvements her house will receive. “I didn’t realize [WAMY] did so much. They really get technical with everything.”
Tarleton and Goss were likewise impressed.
“I’m amazed,” Goss said after witnessing the audit, adding that he knew beforehand what the program accomplishes, but that it was educational to witness the audit in person and see exactly how they accomplish it.
“I didn’t quite realize the depth [of the energy audit],” Tarleton said, adding that WAMY personnel do not just walk around and guess as to what needs to be done to improve energy efficiency—everything is scientifically proven and documented.
“I’m delighted the stimulus money is coming in,” Tarleton said. “It will make a big difference in her energy bill [and] that’s the bottom line.”
Blue Ridge Electric currently provides $500 toward the weatherization of each house in the company’s service area,” Eggers said, adding that the contributions are part of the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) required for all utilities companies by the state.
This program is a directive for companies to either provide energy savings programs for members or direct involvement in renewable energy sources, and by its 2018 target date, cooperatives must achieve 10 percent of kilowatt-hour use through alternative sources, Eggers explained.
The company also provides compact fluorescent bulbs and water heater insulation kits to WAMY at significantly reduced prices, further improving the efficiency of the house, he added.
“WAMY fills a tremendous void for people who could not otherwise afford to get this work done,” Eggers said.
The collaborative effort between Blue Ridge Electric, WAMY and local contractors shows what public-private relationships can accomplish, Goss added.
For more information about WAMY, click to www.wamycommunityaction.org.
Home Weatherization Class November 17
A class on energy efficiency and weatherization in homes will take place at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone on Tuesday, November 17, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The class is free and offers tips on weatherizing a home.
Attendees will also be eligible for a subsidized professional energy audit. The cost of the optional energy audit would be $100, and the state’s energy office would pay the remaining amount of about $250.
Energy audits locate the sources of excess energy loss in a home, providing suggestions on simple, low-cost solutions that will greatly benefit the homeowner.
For more information, call the extension office at 828-264-3061.
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