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Welcome to the Newsletter of Economic Opportunity Studies’ Weatherization PLUS Leveraging Partnership Project. It brings timely information about developments that expand the Weatherization Assistance Program to help your organization take advantage of great opportunities. The Leveraging Partnership Project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy to help your program grow. Visit the Weatherization PLUS portal for more information.
New
Recovery Act Weatherization Online Resources
 The Network faces the welcome challenge of ramping up to unprecedented levels of energy efficiency investment with "Stimulus" spending on Weatherization. Our new page is dedicated to the expansion. Find news, models, planning tools, operations manuals, and technical training material. See reports on the ways others are succeeding (like our new Alaska case study.) Helpful links will allow your organization to meet the call for an expanded workforce.
Click here to see the resources
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Opportunities: Act Now!
High efficiency windows (up to R-7) may become cost-effective for W.A.P. under a federal bulk-purchase agreement! Find out more on a free DOE-sponsored webinar Thursday June 11. Register here.
Green Jobs Competitive Grants - Most W.A.P. agencies are eligible! The Department of Labor has issued its plan for the use of $500 M in competitive "green jobs" grants so prospective bidders can prepare for the forthcoming (June!) RFP. Two of five categories are open to partnerships including community-based non-profits. See the plan.
Help the President’s "green" volunteer initiative succeed! President Obama’s initiative to recruit regular, but limited, summer community volunteer commitments needs "green" placements. Can your agency use some help? Some recognition by the U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service?
EOS is assisting in recruiting W.A.P. providers who have ideas for using volunteers to:
• make non-technical improvements around homes Weatherized (landscape, paint, etc.)
• perform outreach to or educate the public about the energy and water efficiency
• improve natural resource use
• start creative new projects
Already planning such summer projects? They "count"! Be part of the national movement and its benefits. Contact Lina to share information |
New Study Offers Ramp-Up Ideas
How Alaska’s 2008 WAP Network Manages its 12-Fold Growth in State Funding: Lessons for ARRA WAP Ramp-Up
Click here to read more
News!
Making Multi-Family Outreach Easier
DOE and HUD Issue a Proposed Rule
The proposed rule identifies any buildings participating in HUD’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing or Qualified Assisted Housing programs as eligible for W.A.P. services, because more than 66% of units will be occupied by households at or below 200% FPG. "Qualified Assisted Housing" means public housing projects, buildings with project-based Section 8 assistance, and supportive housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities (receiving Section 202 assistance or Section 811). Excluded are projects with any funding from Section 221(d)(3) and (d)(5) and Section 236.
HUD will provide lists of eligivble buildings to DOE, which will post the lists on a new site for state and local agencies’ use. The buildings will be "pre-qualified" because all are already eligible.
The notice of proposed rule making also asks for comment on whether the fact that all Qualified Assisted Housing tenants have rents capped at 30% of income means they will not receive most of the benefits of Weatherization assistance as required by the W.A.P. statute. It also requests comment on whether the landlords (in these buildings, primarily the local PHA) would receive "undue enhancement" (prohibited by the W.A.P. statute) if they agree to not increase rents except for reasons unrelated to the Weatherization improvements.
The deadline for public comment is June 22.
See the full NOPR
Useful Tool
Tell the Public about W.A.P.’s Greenhouse Gas Impact
Weatherizing 1,000,000 homes equals:
• shutting down three of the country’s dirtiest coal-fired power plants, along with the Washington D.C.’s Capitol Power Plant for an entire year
• grounding 175,135 NY-LA-NY flights
• turning the entire state of Connecticut into a forest
Use this paper to tell the story
Use this how-to guide to derive your program’s annual impact
Help Tell the Story
The Economic Impact of Your W.A.P. Ramp-Up So Far
EOS is collecting information showing the network training, jobs, and purchasing to date using all funding sources. Please tell us how many of these your agency has ordered or purchased as of June 5:
• vehicles?
• U.S.-made vehicles?
• blower doors?
• scanners?
• efficient furnaces?
How many new workers have been:
• hired or retained?
• trained?
• identified but not hired pending release of more funds?
Send your information here
Why You Are Receiving This Email
Your name is on a list of Weatherization Program contacts from federal, and state, or conference attendance records. Of course, you may unsubscribe (see below). However, we hope you will help us add the names and addresses of all who may be interested. We do not share our list. Our promise: The newsletter will be sent only when there is useful material for Weatherizers.
Specific questions? Subjects we should cover in the future? Email us at: energy_leveraging_news@opportunitystudies.org
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In This Issue:
» New Recovery Act Web Resources
» Opportunities
» How Alaska Climbed the Ramp
» DOE and HUD Ease Multi-Family Outreach
» What W.A.P. Does for the Climate
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In Memory
Alex Moore
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Alex Moore, senior technical advisor to the federal Weatherization management team, died suddenly at home on June 7. His untimely passing will shock and sadden the thousands of Weatherizers he has taught, encouraged, and connected to each other over nearly two decades of service to our nationwide network.
Alex was a leader and guide for the introduction of all the important technical advances that raised the program to its current place at the forefront of the residential energy efficiency "industry". He guided the state and local agencies and their training organizations as they implemented new diagnostic and retrofit technologies, computerized audits, and the training to bring them to the Weatherization workforce.
At any time, his funny, wise, supportive presence would be sorely missed, but, at this moment of great change, our loss is incalculable.
Expressions of sympathy and donations to the family may be sent to:
Brenda Bromley
20777 Snowpine, Pl.
Ashburn, VA 20147
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Two Amazing Facts
#1: The ARRA funding will result in 133,345 new jobs. With all other funding, the W.A.P. network’s investments will probably total $6.75 B over two years and result in 173,350 jobs altogether. Read more here.
#2: With DOE-WAP, LIHEAP funds, and non-federal, or "leveraged" funds, U.S. Weatherization funding from all sources for PY 2007 was $779.5 M. $5 B over three years is not even a 250% increase. Read more here.
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Our Project Staff:
Meg Power - Project Manager
Eli Nesson - Information Manager
Lina Karaoglanova - Project Associate
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Disclaimer: "This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof."
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