Weatherization News

Landmark Communications, Inc., The Virginian-Pilot May 23, 2004, Sunday

HEADLINE: Electric Bill Savings Begin at Home, With the City's Help/New Budget Includes Conservation Tips

BODY: High electric bills have been a common complaint in the area for years, and following this past year's election, City Council members have asked the staff to look for more ways to help residents.

   The City Council has tried to assist with programs through the Pasquotank County Department of Social Services to pay for low-income families to get fans and help pay some bills with donated money. Those two budget line-items have remained static at about $15,000 each year.

   In the past few weeks, City Manager Rich Olson has introduced several new ideas that could help lower utility bills in the long run.

   He's not suggesting a drop in utility rates because the city cannot afford it. Instead, he said, he's hoping that the city's houses and businesses could become more energy-efficient with the help of a variety of new programs he's pitching.

   "The city does have high energy rates, but it is consumption-related in most cases," Olson said. "I just think we have to look at consumption levels."

   In the city's budget proposal, Olson has recommended putting $100,000 in the budget for a new weatherization program. That money will be combined with federal grant money to better insulate low-income housing throughout the area. Currently, the Economic Improvement Council in Edenton operates the program, which distributes approximately $273,000 in the 10-county area, Olson said.

   The new budget does not go into effect until July 1 , and the City Council is in the process of reviewing the staff budget proposal.

   In addition, the city manager plans to train a few city employees to be energy auditors. They could visit homes and suggest what sorts of changes could save electricity, such as eliminating the use of appliances during hours when nobody is home, upgrading some equipment or using the appliances during non-peak

hours. Olson said that the service would be free.

   That is also the genesis of an idea that would require a change in the city's building code. According to a memo from the city manager to the City Council, Olson is suggesting that all newly built houses be required to install load-management switches on hot water heaters and heat pumps.

   The switches would control the cycles and cut down on the amount of energyused during the city's peak hours.

   Olson said that when most of the city's electricity is consumed during peak hours it forces the purchasing prices up . The prices are based on the amount of usage during the peak hours.

   In his memo, Olson also indicated that he would like to require that residents who request more than three payment extensions within a year be forced to install the load-management switches.

   "We've saved about $1.5 million through demand controls," Olson said.

   The city's electric department already offers credits to customers who install these types of switches on their equipment. The credit would also be offered to residents in the future, Olson said in his memo.

   He also indicated that the city would have to work with landlords if renters are required to install the switches.

   "We have to do everything on our end," Olson said.

   Reach Lauren King at (252) 338-2413 or lauren.king pilotonline.com

The Associated Press State & Local Wire February 20, 2004, Friday

HEADLINE: U.S. Energy Secretary Visits Home Being Weatherized

BODY:  A work crew came by to improve insulation at the home where Marilyn Brummit has lived for 38 years. Then the U.S. secretary of energy came along to raise awareness for the government's weatherization program.

   U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham toured Brummit's house to raise awareness for the federal government's Weatherization Assistance Program. He also promoted President Bush's plan to spend $1.4 billion over the next 10 years to help weatherize the homes of 1.2 million low-income families.

   About $4,900 will be spent on the Brummit home, doing things like insulating the walls, replacing plumbing fixtures and replacing an old, inefficient refrigerator. State and utility funds also are used to supplement federal money.

   Brummit, whose energy bills amount to more than $200 per month, said it will make a big difference to her - and not just in her pocketbook.

   "With a 1-year-old granddaughter, I've got a nice warm house for her to come to," she said.

   "This is money that's very well-spent," Abraham said. "If the administration 's request for funding for fiscal year 2005 is approved by Congress, Iowa's share of the program money will increase $1 million to $6 million," he said.

   The administration's budget has taken a raft of criticism for cutting programs for the poor and the disadvantaged. Democrats complain the administration has proposed no change in the basic funding level for the Low Income Heating Assistance Program for fiscal year 2005, which begins in October. The administration has proposed a boost for the program's emergency reserve.

   The proposal for the weatherization program is aimed at an acute need, particularly in cold Midwest states.

   Roger Pavey, the executive director of Iowa East-Central T.R.A.I.N., which administers the program in Scott, Clinton, Muscatine and Cedar counties, said in any given year, 6,000 families could qualify for the program. This year, 180 families will get assistance.

   The proposed increase in funding over the next 10 years would double the number of homes to get weatherization help, Abraham said.

   Of the families who do get the help, there is a dramatic impact, local officials say. Weatherization can cut energy costs by 25 percent, and make a home safer by doing things such as improving ventilation to prevent buildup of carbon monoxide.

   Abraham said the programs spending has a significant return on investment in terms of energy savings and in leveraging state and private money, and he plans to testify before Congress soon to push for the additional money.

   This is the second visit the energy secretary has made to Iowa to promote the program.

   ---

   Information from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com

LOAD-DATE: February 20, 2004

Copyright 2004 The News Journal February 6, 2004, Friday

HEADLINE: More Help with Heating Bills Available

BODY: Funds increased for low-income assistance

   By MIKE CHALMERS Staff reporter

   Delaware programs that help low-income families pay their heating bills got a boost of more than $837,000 Thursday from an increase in federal aid and a corporate donation.

   The Delaware Energy Assistance Program will get an additional $687,677 from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, the agency said. The state has already received $4.2 million this winter through the program, which helps about 13,000 Delaware families a year.

   Also, Sunoco Inc. has donated $150,000 to the state's Low Income Utility Fund, which gets about $800,000 a year from Conectiv Power Delivery's electric customers.

   "Many Delaware families are finding that this year's unusually cold winter means unusually high utility bills," Gov. Ruth Ann Minner said Thursday at the Claymont State Service Center, where she accepted the donation from Sunoco.

   Eighteen states, including Delaware, and the District of Columbia got extra federal money because of colder-than-normal temperatures in January, officials said.

   The average daily temperature during January was 25.4 degrees, or about 6 degrees below normal, according to the National Weather Service. There were 20 days last month when the temperature never got above freezing, compared to an average of seven days since 1997.

   The Sunoco donation will help more than 300 families, officials said. The fund has helped about 3,800 families with their heating bills so far this winter.

   Sunoco, based in Philadelphia, makes and markets petroleum and petrochemical products. It operates a refinery in Marcus Hook, Pa., on the Delaware line near Claymont.

   "It's been a very cold winter, and it's not over yet," said Ed Hazzouri,director of Delaware Valley affairs for the company. "We have a long and proud tradition of helping improve the quality of life in the communities where we work and live."

   Both programs provide energy assistance and weatherization.

   Eligibility for both programs is based on a family's size and income. A family of four earning less than $43,981 would be eligible for help from the Low Income Utility Fund. To be eligible for aid from the Delaware Energy Assistance Program, a family of four must earn less than $36,800.

   Reach Mike Chalmers at 324-2790 or mchalmers@delawareonline.com.

   TO APPLY FOR HELP

   Delaware Energy Assistance Program - Call Catholic Charities at 654-9295 in New Castle County, 674-1782 in Kent County, or 856-6310 in Sussex County.

   Low Income Utility Fund - Call one of the State Service Centers or call the Delaware HelpLine at (800) 464-4357.

Copyright 2004 University Wire February 2, 2004, Tuesday

HEADLINE: Program Exist to Help Low-Income Homeowners With Heating Costs

BODY: If the idea of weatherizing your home is too costly, checking into federal programs that offer bill payment assistance and energy-related home repairs,such as Low Income Energy Assistance Program or Weatherization Assistance Program, might be a good idea.

   By improving the energy efficiency in homes, WAP reduces the burden of energy costs for low-income Americans, especially households with elderly residents or people with disabilities and children.

   On average, weatherization reduces heating bills by 31 percent and overall energy bills by $ 200 to $ 250 per year. The cost of weatherizing the home is fully paid by the program.

   Larry Bentley, WAP manager, said 13 Riley County homes and apartments were repaired this year to make them more energy efficient. Throughout Kansas, about 900 homes were weatherized with more than 500 others to be completed by April 2004.

   "It's looking good," Bentley said about the prospect to complete all planned renovations on time. "We may not be 100 percent done, but surely going to be in high 90s."

   Bentley said it usually takes four to seven months from the moment of application approval to the end of work. The longest waiting list is in the Wichita area where it can take up to two years to get a home weatherized.

   The average expenditure for WAP is $ 2,500 per home.

   Although the number of Kansas homes weatherized is increasing each year, this year provides a once-in-a-presidential-term opportunity to get a home renovated.

   Just a week ago, the U.S. Department of Energy announced President Bush's 2004 budget includes $ 288 million for WAP, which is $ 11 million more than the president's fiscal year request. $ 3.2 of that is reserved for Kansas.

   Another program, LIEAP, offers one-time bill payment assistance that ranges from $ 150 to $ 350 depending on income level and type of a dwelling unit, said Sandra Petitjean, program officer at Salina office of Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

   "Many college students may qualify for our program since student loans are not considered an income source. I would encourage them to apply in their local SRS office," Petitjean said.

   The Manhattan SRS office will be accepting LIEAP applications for bill payment assistance for this year until March.

  (C) 2003 Kansas State Collegian via U-WIRE

Copyright 2004 The Capital January 27, 2004, Tuesday

HEADLINE: Heating Prices Up, but Bills Down

BODY: Prices for natural gas and home heating oil are up this year - but most families have avoided higher bills because this winter, believe it or not, is warmer than last year.

   The higher heating prices essentially have been canceled out by less use locally, according to utility officials.

   For the November through March winter season, officials with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. project the average heating bill will total $580, compared to $592 last year. Last year's higher bills were attributed to a colder-than-normal winter.

   While it may seem frigid now, it wasn't so long ago the Annapolis area was basking in 40- and 50-degree days.

   "It's interesting how quickly we forget," said Laurie Duhan, BGE director of gas pricing.

   The price per therm of natural gas - the most popular heating option - is 72 cents. At this time last year, the price per therm was only 59 cents.

   "That's the cost that's been getting the news," Ms. Duhan said, adding that the utility also charges delivery fees.

   BGE customers aren't stuck, however, with the price the utility charges for natural gas. Customers can sign up with any one of eight other companies approved by the state. BGE still delivers the gas and usually bills for it.

   Ms. Duhan said just 13 percent of BGE's 575,000 residential natural gas customers have picked other gas suppliers - perhaps because it is a newer phenomenon that came with deregulation.

   Approved gas suppliers are listed on the BGE Web site, www.bge.com.

   Choosing another supplier can sometimes pay off - Econnergy Energy of Spring Valley, N.Y., is charg- ing 70 cents per therm. But ACN Energy of McLean, Va., by comparison, quotes a price of 81.7 cents per therm - almost a dime more than BGE.

   During a normal winter, the average BGE residential customer will use about 550 therms of natural gas. January usually is the peak month, with the average home using about 150 therms.

   While cold snaps may seem to make things worse, it's really a combination of factors that causes prices to spike. Supply and demand and the relative value of the dollar influence energy prices.

   In an attempt to counter price spikes, Ms. Duhan said BGE buys and stores almost half of its natural gas in the summertime.

   "We've reduced the volatility," she said.

   Oil prices up

   Families that use home heating oil always have been able to choose from a variety of local suppliers.

   Those families are seeing higher prices, too, thanks to increased prices in crude oil.

   The price of a barrel of crude oil passed the $35 mark earlier this month. With crude oil making up 42 percent of a gallon of refined home heating oil, that means higher prices.

   As recently as 2002, crude oil was just $24 per barrel, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

   The national average price for heating oil is about $1.60 per gallon, 13 cents more than last year, according to the Department of Energy.

   Local heating oil customers are doing a bit better. Lamar Fuel Oil in Annapolis is offering heating oil for $1.45 a gallon, while Southern Maryland Oil is advertising $1.36 for customers who signed up for a whole winter's worth of oil a month in advance.

   That allows the company to get their stocks ready before the chill hits. Customers who aren't on the regular refill program are paying 19 cents more, said company President John Combs.

   Heating oil customers can use anywhere from 500 to 1,000 gallons over the course of the winter, Mr. Combs said.

   If the persistent recent cold snap continues, Mr. Combs said he fears heating oil prices will continue to climb.

   "It's been extremely cold ... and the demand is driving up prices," he said.

   Fix it up

   Either way you heat your home, the best - and perhaps easiest - way to save money is to use less energy, said Jim Rooney, an Annapolis home inspector and home improvement columnist for The Capital.

   He suggests checking windows, doors, pet doors and attic hatches for leaks and repairing them with caulking or putting towels under cracks. Furnaces and heat pumps should be inspected annually and it helps to seal off unused rooms.

   "A lot of it you can do yourself," he said. "Basically, windows and doors are the big things."

   You also can lower your thermostat and your water heater.

   And Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has been promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances. Through July 1, the sales tax is waived on sales of certain appliances.

   The state offers a little-known weatherization program to help low-income families make their homes as energy-efficient as possible.

   Technicians visit a home to determine where energy might be wasted, and then arrange for repairs, said Jim McAteer, director of the Weatherization Assistance Program.

   "It might be insulation in the attic, air sealing, weather stripping and that sort of thing," he said. The program also pays for furnace repairs or replacements and insulating water heaters.

   With the average energy audit and repairs costing $3,000, the money gets spent quickly. In the last two years, about 1,000 Maryland families participated, with 67 coming from Anne Arundel County and 34 coming from Queen Anne's County.

   "We wish there were more," Mr. McAteer said.

   Many of the participants are referred from the state's two utility assistance programs, the Maryland Energy Assistance Program and the Electric Universal Service Program.

   Funded by a combination of federal grants, utility company payments and a 37-cent charge on every utility bill, the programs help 78,000 Maryland families pay their utility bills.

   So far this fiscal year, participation is up 12 percent more than last year, said Mary Lou Kueffer, director of the state's home energy programs.

   Often, the programs help keep families from accruing large utility debts than can lead to having their power or gas cut off. There is a sliding scale for eligibility, but generally families must make less than 150 percent of the poverty line to apply.

   There also are private charities, like the Fuel Fund of Maryland, to help families clear past debts or pay their bills.

   "It's a way to keep affordable payments," Ms. Kueffer said. ---

   The Associated Press contributed to this report.

   pwood@capitalgazette.com

Copyright 2004 Home Energy January 1, 2004, Thursday

HEADLINE: A Little Help, Please? Weatherization

BODY: I n my experience training Iowa's weatherization technical specialists and assisting a local weatherization program with problem jobs--the success of the weatherization process sometimes depends on the clients being served, and on their willingness to cooperate. The following two stories illustrate the importance of client cooperation in improving the health of a home. They also illustrate the importance of addressing the client's issues and constraints.

    Sweet Smell of Success!

    In April 2001, a family in New Hampton, Iowa, with three preteen children had a severe problem with moisture in their 1,500 [ft.sup.2] ranch-style house. Luckily, they were eligible for weatherization assistance. During a routine weatherization evaluation, the local weatherization agency, Northeast Iowa Community Action, discovered a very high relative humidity (RH) level in the home. The typical KH level for our cool climate is 35%-45%; in this home it was 60%-70%.We have found that when the RH gets above 60%, some exterior surfaces that lack insulation are cooled enough to hit their dew point, allowing water to condense. This was what happened here, and it was causing a great deal of mold growth on the living room walls and ceilings and in the basement. There was no evidence of moisture in the attic, so the humidity problem appeared to be contained in the living area. Due to the severe moisture problem, the agency's evaluator, Jim Perry, contacted me for assistance.

    During our evaluation, we noted that there was no vapor barrier covering the crawlspace under part of the house; that there was a shower in the basement; and that the unconditioned attic had no insulation over the outer walls. The family told us that the children were having severe allergy and asthmatic symptoms. This was worrisome.

    To correct the problem, we first installed 70 CFM quiet (0.3 sone), high-efficiency (19W) exhaust fans in the upstairs bathroom and in the basement.

These fans were equipped with dehumidistats. The client was instructed to keep the dehumidistats at a setting below 50% RH at all times. If the RH level in the home exceeded the setpoint, the exhaust fans would automatically turn on and remain on until the RH level was within the desired range. Each dehumidistat was equipped with an on-off switch, allowing the client to override the exhaust fan in the summer (so humid outside air would not be brought into the house). After installing the exhaust fans, we draft-tested to make sure that the fans didn't backdraft the other appliances.

    Next, we installed a 4-mil poly vapor retarder over the floor and walls of the crawlspace. We then installed a 4-inch passive inlet pipe from the outside

of the house to the return side of the furnace. This pipe would provide drier air to the home when the furnace ran, or when the home was under a negative pressure. In the attic we installed soffit chutes. We stuffed fiberglass insulation under the chutes to prevent insulation from being blown into the

soffits and blocking the vents. We then insulated the area of the attic that extended over the outer wall of the house with cellulose. This was above the

area of the living room where mold was forming on the ceiling and wall. We did this to increase the R-value of the attic and to keep the ceiling and wall

surfaces below the attic at the temperature of the conditioned space. Once the weatherization process was complete, the client disinfected the walls and

ceilings where the mold growth had occurred and repainted them.

    I recently visited the home with the agency evaluator. In the two years since the weatherization work was completed, the mold has not returned and the home is at a safe RH level, between 35% and 45%. This family was extremelycooperative and diligent in their efforts to establish a safe home. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the children no longer experience allergy symptoms and are much healthier. This is a definite weatherization success.

    Unfortunately, not all clients are as willing to cooperate, as the next case demonstrates.

    You Reap What You Sow

    In March 2002, a local agency, Iowa East Central Teach Rehabilitate Aid Iowa Neglected (TRAIN), weatherized a home. It was a 2,134 [ft.sup.2] house of one and a half stories with an attached 24 ft x 24 ft garage. Two adults, six home-schooled children, and two dogs occupied the home. The agency properly weatherized the home by dense-packing the walls, kneewalls, and roof rafters, and the outer ceiling joist in the kneewall area, as well as insulating the collar beam. The [CFM.sub.50] was 5,165 (or 18 [CFM.sub.50]) before weatherization and 1,980 (or 7 [CFM.sub.50]) after weatherization. This was a pretty good job of insulating and tightening the home, but approximately two years later the homeowner contacted the agency, complaining of moisture problems in the attic. The agency evaluator, Dave Sexton, contacted me for assistance.

    When Dave and I inspected the house, we found moisture dripping in the attic. The RH level in the house was at 80%, so we began to search for the

sources of the moisture. We found the main one in the garage. During the two years since the house had been weatherized, the homeowners had removed the redwood siding, the sheathing, and the insulation on the south exterior wall of the garage and had installed a double layer of 4-mil poly to the exterior wall. In addition, they had filled more than half of the garage with more than 10 inches of dirt and built a garden/greenhouse! In the winter they would open the door connecting the garage to the house, to assist in heating their new greenhouse plantings.

    On top of the six home-schooled children, the two adults, and the adult dogs, we noted that the homeowners now had 16 puppies, increasing the number of occupants in the house to eight people and 18 dogs! The high number of occupants was another source of excessive moisture.

    We told the clients that the moisture level in the house had to be significantly lowered, because there was a risk that otherwise, it would

eventually destroy their home. We explained that the main cause of the moisture problem was the garden/greenhouse, and we couldn't provide ventilation for the garden/ greenhouse because it would be beyond the scope of the weatherization program. The garden/greenhouse had to be removed. And we explained that the high number of occupants in the house contributed to the high moisture level. We also told them that we could help to address their serious moisture problems by installing two high-efficiency exhaust fans with dehumidistats in the kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately, the clients refused to remove the garden/greenhouse, the root of their moisture problem, leaving us no other option but to walk away.

    As seen in these two scenarios, the clients' cooperation can have a huge impact on whether or not the weatherization process is a success.

    Mark Bergrneier is a technical specialist for the Iowa Weatherization program.

Copyright 2004 Home Energy January 1, 2004, Thursday

HEADLINE: Resurrecting a Healthy Living Environment: When energy costs are a Big Part of a Family's Budget, Weatherizing Their Home Pays Off Noticeably; Weatherization

BODY: Energy efficiency isn't a feel-good proposition for our customers; for them, energy savings translate directly into an improved basic living standard. We are the Neighborhood Services Department (NSD), a comprehensive service delivery component of the City of Phoenix local government. Our customers are neighborhoods and the residents who inhabit them. Many of our programs serve the lowest-income residents, who are predominantly elderly or disabled and subsist on $ 500-$ 1,500 per month gross income ($ 400-$ 1,200 in after-tax income). With medical, housing, food, transportation, and utilities all coming from their net income, any energy savings we can engineer into a rehabilitated, weatherized, or reconstructed house makes a noticeable difference to these customers.

    To best serve customers and the environment, we have redesigned our reconstruct and infill house plans so that our houses will exceed Energy Star

Homes standards and similar home performance requirements (see "How We Pay the Piper," p. 16). We designed these houses--in cooperation and in consultation with Arizona Energy Management and Remodel, LLC and Cook Associates Architects--to be comfortable and healthy living environments that are user-friendly and cost-effective from a construction and energy demand perspective. The materials and finish for these houses enhance durability,

longevity, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and customer acceptance; reduce maintenance; and enhance pride in ownership. Our average

investment in energy reduction measures is $ 3,500 per home; with a projected average $ 35 reduction in energy use per month, the energy measure investment return is estimated at 8.3 years.

    Training Paid Off

    DOE has promoted and funded staff and contractor training in the most up-to-date building science. NSD staff and energy management contractors attend regional and national weatherization training conferences, which provide very high-quality training opportunities. In addition, staff and energy management contractors have attended contractor education seminars cosponsored by Arizona Public Service Company, a local electric utility company, and the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office. These seminars have covered the basics of home performance, such as how a house works as a whole, and how to incorporate intelligent and low-cost, proven energy reduction measures into housing construction. Thanks to this training, we have improved the energy efficiency of hundreds of homes owned by the lowest-income residents through relatively low-cost but highly technical energy reduction measures based upon sound building science.

    Five years ago, our original reconstructed home was loosely based on a 1980s affordable housing concept house designed in association with the University of Arkansas. That design specification included 2 x 6 exterior walls constructed with studs that were 24 inches on center, stucco over foam board exterior finish, R-19 fiberglass batt wall insulation, R-30 blown-in fiberglass attic insulation, single-glazed aluminum frame windows, and rigid uninsulated and flex insulated duct located in the unconditioned attic space. We added full 1/2-inch OSB sheating as a design upgrade for greater durability. However, we did not incorporate framing checks to ensure correct insulation installation, duct testing, infiltration testing, or room pressure testing into the inspection procedures for these homes. Inspection was confined to building code, quantity, and quality of workmanship.

    Our new design features include the following.

    Conditioned air supply and return ducts. All ductwork is specified as rigid metal, and all except the short transition from the roof-mounted, packaged gas Pac A/C has been moved into the conditioned space. The short transition runs are field-wrapped with R-7 fiberglass. We have specified that 100% of the balance of the supply duct be constructed of rigid galvanized steel, and that the duct be installed in a dropped soffit that is 100% sealed by either 1/2-inch OSB or 1/2-inch drywall and insulated from the unconditioned attic space with R-30 blown-in cellulose.

    The duct soffit is sealed at all seams, corners, and penetrations with drywall tape and mud or mastic, depending upon the soffit enclosure materials.

We have constructed the soffit enclosure with both 1/2-inch OSB and 1/2-inch drywall to evaluate the methodologies. With the drywall method, it seems easier to perform high-quality duplicable sealing of the soffit plenum from the unconditioned attic. The metal supply duct runs through the sealed soffit plenum to each area of the conditioned space.

    Duct seams are sealed with mastic, although leakage would be to the interior. The tolerance for duct leakage is less than 5% of the HVAC blower fan

high-speed CFM, as measured with the Minneapolis Duct Blaster at 25 Pa. For example, since blower fans produce on average 400 CFM per ton of air

conditioning, we would tolerate at most 70 CFM of duct leakage in a 3.5-ton A/C system.

    Another functional benefit of the dropped-soffit, sealed-plenum design is that if final room pressure balance tests indicate that our room pressures

require additional return air, we can make it up by adding registers inside the plenum space but outside the supply duct. This passive-return air plenum is

available if we need additional return air to help balance room pressure.

    To install the duct system we require

    * mechanical contractors to supply Manual J analysis and duct layouts;

    * a duct system constructed of rigid metal ductwork;

    * water-based latex mastic with at least 50% solids, reinforced with fiberglass mesh at all duct connections, joints, and seams;

    * ductwork that is insulated with a minimum R-6 duct wrap with foil vapor jacket;

    * a 6-inch fresh-air supply duct installed into the main body return with an adjustable damper and washable filter;

    * adjustable dampers on all the supply registers in order to properly balance the air flow and provide the specified CFM at each location;

    * air flow to each room that matches the designed air flow calculations within +/- 10%;

    * total duct leakage that does not exceed 3 CFM at 25 Pa for every 100 [ft.sup.2] of the house floor area, or 5% HVAC high fan speed, as measured with a Minneapolis Duct Blaster at 25 Pa;

    * no pressures created by the HVAC system within the structure that are +/- 3 Pa with respect to the outside; and

    * thermostats with run-time monitoring and ventilation features.

    The duct-sealing materials must have high cohesive and adhesive qualities with at least 50% solids. The ducts should be attached per the manufacturer's specifications utilizing plumbing straps or screws that will provide a strong mechanical connection. Foil tapes, including UL 181 AP-type tapes, are not acceptable when used alone. The tape must be overlaid with a coating of mastic that is thick enough to completely cover the tape and extends at least 1 inch past the tape on all sides.

    Air sealing. All the holes in the top plates of interior and exterior walls, such as holes for electrical and plumbing runs, need to be sealed with

expandable foam or caulk. If foam is used, it must be double-expanding foam at minimum. The sealing product used must make a good seal all the way around the intrusion. The areas where the exterior wall plate meets the concrete stab and where the top plate meets backer board are sealed with a silicone-based caulk. The beads are rubbed down to ensure good cohesion and seal. All holes cut into drop soffits, drop ceilings, chases, and shafts are sealed with expandable foam(double expanding at minimum) or caulk.

    If the area to be sealed is larger than 1/2 inch, the procedures outlined above will not make a permanent seal. The area should be sealed with

fiber-reinforced cloth and a lagging adhesive. Cut or drill holes are slightly larger than usual to make sealing easier.

    We install new-model recessed lights that are airtight and that can be safely in contact with the insulation (IC rated). The junction between the light

and the ceiling drywall is caulked.

    All the HVAC penetrations, such as refrigerant lines, supply and return grille penetrations, and thermostat wire holes, are sealed. The gaps around sink

drains and water inlet pipes often leak air. To prevent this, we fill the gap between the drain or pipe and the wallboard with caulk or foam. The dryer

exhaust, gas pipes, and refrigerator water line are other potential air leakage areas. We caulk the trim plate for the refrigerator water line around its edges and set it firmly in place to make it air tight. We also caulk around the washing machine water supply and drain.

    Electrical outlets and switch plates all leak a little; however, the air that passes through them comes from openings in the top plate and other wall

penetrations. If we take care of the basic air sealing, electrical outlet gaskets will not be needed.

    All of the boundary planes that together form the home's air and thermal barrier must be capped and sealed with a rigid material such as OSB, plywood, or drywall. These surfaces include dropped soffits; dropped ceilings for closets;chases and shafts for ductwork, plumbing, and utilities; floor trusses that connect to the attic or outside; and dropped soffits for ductwork. When properly sealed, these surfaces form a continuous, contiguous, and complete air and thermal barrier, also known as a 3C barrier (see "A High-Performance House--What Does It Take?" HE March/April '99, p. 16).

    The dropped soffit containing the ductwork is being used for the HVAC return air path from all the bedrooms to the main body of the house. The soffit will be accessed from the bedrooms and a pass-through register will be installed. A pass-through register will also be installed in the main body of the house. With the bedroom doors closed, the HVAC air will be able to enter the room and then pass through the drop soffits as it returns to the HVAC system, making the soffit a critical piece of the HVAC system. The specifications for these soffits are to make them airtight. If there is any air leakage to the attic, the soffit will be rendered unusable.

    Building site. Effective orientation of the structure on the site is often rendered impossible by one or more factors. These include the narrow lot width

common in the low to moderate-income neighborhoods where our customers reside;side yard zoning set-back requirements; and the width of the structure. When the site is large enough, the structure is oriented so as to best minimize summer solar heat gain and maximize winter solar heat gain.

    Minimal front yard landscaping is included in our new design package. We explain to the owner the benefits of selective seasonal shading of the

south-,east-, and west-facing windows through judicious landscaping choices. We encourage the owner to plant deciduous shade trees to provide seasonal shading for windows facing south, east, and west to reduce solar heat gain in the summer and to maximize winter solar heat gain. We provide the owner with both informational and financial resources to assist in these selections.

    Inspections and Testing

    Framing, air sealing, and air and thermal barrier inspections are performed in stages and must be approved at each stage before building is allowed to

continue. All pressure balancing, duct leakage, and whole-house leakage testing is performed by Arizona Energy Management and Remodel, LLC. Tests are performed and recorded using a Minneapolis Blower Door and a Minneapolis Duct Blaster and Tektite 2 program software.

    We completed two Energy Star Home cost and feature reports--one for the home with the energy reduction measures included in the plans and one for the home without those features. Both of these reports were conducted by Arizona Energy Management and Remodel, LLC, utilizing REM: Design Residential Energy Analysis Software V 10. REM: Design reports the modified end use loads for heating, cooling, and water heating of the designed building. The energy design measures adopted into our current plans reduce the modified end use load flora 74 MMBtu per year to 41 MMBtu per year, a reduction of 33 MMBtu per year, or 45%.

    These energy savings also reduce air pollutant production and emission through reduced energy demand (see Table 1). The pollution reduced from upgrades is reported in terms of lb per year of carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]), sulfur dioxide (S[O.sub.2]), and nitrogen oxides (N[O.sub.x]) emissions. The emissions reductions are a function of the state in which the building is located; the buildings heating, cooling, and water-heating consumption; and the types of fuel used. REM: Design summarizes the [CO.sub.2], [SO.sub.2], and [No.sub.x] emissions from the source (power plant) based on the home's location and the type of fuel used. The emission data were obtained from the American Gas Association.

    The demand comparison is quite remarkable. The energy reduction design features are very inexpensive when incorporated into the initial

design-and-build process. The additional cost is less than the 5% energy-efficient mortgage cap requirement. The features are also passive and

durable, requiring essentially no maintenance or upkeep other than an A/C filter replacement.

    Detailed drawings provide guidance to staff and contractors in the implementation of specific energy measures. The form sets provide a systematic

quality control inspection check-off procedure that staff and energy consultants can use throughout the construction process. Forms are included for

critical-stage periodic inspections at framing, window installation, ductwork installation, predrywall/preinsulation, insulation installation, and heating/air

conditioning installation. An energy consultant performs additional critical final building performance testing, and recommends adjustments, if required.

This testing includes blower door testing inclusive of HVAC system leakage, building envelope leakage, house pressure mapping, and air flow and balancing.

    The Final Polish

    To ensure that the homes that we have put so much care into designing and building get ongoing care, NSD requires that our new-home customers attend four two-hour classes covering basic home maintenance. The classes are held at a local community college job training skills center, and we pay all of the class fees. Topics covered include electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, energy conservation, painting, glazing, and carpentry. At completion, the owners receive a basic home maintenance tool kit and a home maintenance manual. Classes and materials are offered in Spanish for our monolingual Spanish-speaking customers.

    What's Ahead

    In cooperation with the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office and our energy consultant, Arizona Energy Management and Remodel, LLC, we are currently completing on-site whole-house performance testing, including the use of infrared camera analysis of wall and ceiling performance, in our redesigned homes. As a baseline, we are also testing models of these homes built over the past five years that do not include the current energy reduction measures. We will use these results to further quantify the effectiveness of our current design improvements.

    We are also currently working to standardize an HVAC retrofit energy measure package that includes, when appropriate, the removal of evaporative coolers and A/C installations through our HUD-funded emergency repair program. We will include a standard set of cost-effective, high-return energy reduction measures whenever we change out an evaporative cooler and replace it with a new properly sized 12-SEER A/C package unit. This will include a priority checklist that covers test-driven duct repair or replacement; attic insulation upgrades; and solar heat gain mitigation efforts.

   Table 1. Emission Reductions

   Due to Design Changes

                          Reduction

   Type of Emissions      (lb/year)

   C[O.sub.2]              4,662.0

   S[O.sub.2]                 11.7

   N[O.sub.x]                 11.0

    For more information:

    City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department 200 W Washington, 4th Fl.

Phoenix, Arizona 85003

    Michael Kearns Housing Rehabilitation Supervisor E-mail: mike.kearns

@phoenix.gov

    Rodney Powers Rehabilitation Specialist E-mail: rodney.powers@phoenix.gov

    Arizona Energy Management and Remodel, LLC

    Ken Pancost Energy Consultant E-mail: kenpan@cox.net

    RELATED ARTICLE: How we pay the piper.

    The Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) is structured as a municipal corporation, a public agency that is committed to the delivery of neighborhood services, including code enforcement, neighborhood organization, neighborhood revitalization, and owner-occupied and rental housing rehabilitation. We also rebuild housing when rehabilitation is economically infeasible and construct infill housing through nonprofit partners.

    As a municipal housing rehabilitation agency, we are recipients of HUDfunding through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds. In keeping with this primary funding source's requirements, our typical customer's income limit is 80% of the locally adjusted median income. With these funds, NSDcompletes extensive single-family and multifamily comprehensive housing rehabilitation, along with emergency home repair. We are also subgrantee recipients of federal DOE weatherization funds through the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office. Our specific energy demand reduction programs, such as weatherization, require an income limit of 125% of the locally adjusted poverty baseline. Utility company contributions and Low-Income Energy Assistance Program(LIHEAP) funds are added to the DOE funds, and we utilize this mix of funds to reduce energy demand for our very-low-income customers.

    Michael Kearns is a housing rehabilitation supervisor for NS D.

Copyright 2003 The Indianapolis Star December 14, 2003, Sunday

HEADLINE: Energy-Saving Help for Low-Income Families

BODY: A few simple tips can help low-income families save on their heating bills this winter, as pointed out in The Star's recent editorial on weatherization programs.

   At the Family and Social Services Administration, we help about 5,000 families statewide weatherize their homes each year. But this winter, we alsoexpect to help at least three times that number, around 16,000, lower their bills through energy education, a more effective and easier way to help low-income families stretch their dollars.

   Working with partners in Indiana's 24 Community Action Agencies, FSSA's energy education program encourages families receiving heating assistance to find savings by following easy tips, such as blocking drafty doorways or lowering the thermostat a few degrees on cold winter nights.

Energy education is considered the most effective way to help families lower energy costs. Every year FSSA helps to weatherize low-income homes through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and other funds. But the work requires extensive home visits and reaches less than 5 percent of families receiving heating assistance.

FSSA plans to expand the energy education program to all 122,000 energy assistance recipients, but thousands more households can still expect to have the option of participating this year. For more information, families can contact Community Action of Greater Indianapolis at 1-317-396-1800 or 1-800-622-4973.

   Beryl Cohen

   Deputy director, Division of Family and Children

   Indiana Family and Social

   Services Administration

   Indianapolis

Copyright 2003 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc. October 30, 2003, Thursday

HEADLINE: Little Rock Event Set on Home Weatherization Program

BODY: Information about the Weatherization Assistance Program will be available at 1 p.m. today in MacArthur Park in Little Rock as part of "Energyfest." Gov. Mike Huckabee has proclaimed Thursday as Weatherization Day in the state.The event, open and free to the public, will include a news conference and a tent-demonstration of what the program provides. Information about energy conservation techniques also will be available. The governor, Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey, state legislators, representatives of energy companies and members of the Public Service Commission are expected to attend the celebration. The Weatherization Assistance Program provides energy audits and determines the energy conservation needs of a home. It also provides weather-stripping of doors and windows; caulking and sealing of cracks and holes; insulation for attics, walls and floors; installation of storm windows ; the repairing and retrofitting of furnaces and other energy-saving improvements.

More information is available by calling (501) 372-0807.

Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company June 22, 2003, Sunday

HEADLINE: In the Region/Long Island; A Model Program to Rehabiliate Homes in Freeport

BODY: IN looking for a rundown property last winter to highlight a new federal program that would rehabilitate houses in lower income neighborhoods, the Community Development Corporation of Long Island turned to officials of the South Shore village of Freeport, where the corporation has its Nassau County office.

"Four local residents recommended by the mayor went out on a Saturday knocking on doors in one of the oldest sections of Freeport asking to rehabilitate them," said Marianne Garvin, executive vice president of the nonprofit corporation. "There was a lot of skepticism, but then they found Carrie Mays, and she said yes."

A certified nursing assistant making $400 a week, Mrs. Mays has lived in her 80-year-old four-bedroom house since 1975. Mrs. Mays's daughter -- a secretary who makes about $300 a week -- also lives in the house, with her three children, and shares the $1,500-a-month mortgage payments.

Mrs. Mays said she welcomed having her two-story house fixed up. Once it was evaluated by the Community Development Corporation, the house turned out to need almost $50,000 worth of work to make it safe and energy-efficient, which is the goal of the new program. This included new ceilings, doors, insulation, kitchen floor and carpeting. The entire house also needed to be painted and the sun porch rescreened.

Mrs. Mays passed all the requirements for eligibility in the program, and within four months the house had new vinyl siding, the porch screens were on and rehabilitation was well on its way and is expected to be completed this month.

On June 7, a team of volunteers painted the interior during a special celebration that formally announced the Weatherization, Rehabilitation and Asset Preservation program. It is the first nationwide program of this kind, although it is modeled after a similar Long Island program.

Mrs. Mays's home is one of 195 in the village of Freeport that are to be worked on under the WRAP program, which combines federal, state and local home rehabilitation and energy-saving grants. The program is expected to lower electric bills by 25 to 35 percent, increase property values in the neighborhood and help low-income homeowners preserve their home assets.

The program was initiated in December 2002 by the 50-year-old Ford Foundation, the giant philanthropic organization. The nationwide WRAP program is being modeled after the Community Development Corporation's two-year-old Loss Prevention Program, which receives grants from the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation and the federal Department of Energy. The program has spent $2,372,266 to rehabilitate 496 houses throughout Long Island with an average household income of $14,694.

George McCarthy, the foundation's program officer in development, finance and economic security, said he approached the Community Development Corporation to set up a three-year pilot program in a concentrated area of Freeport. While the approach is similar, the rehabilitation money comes from the federal government, instead of the state.

"The Community Development Corporation has one of the most innovative and comprehensive programs in the country; they do a lot of post-purchase assistance," Mr. McCarthy said. "My goal is to use their program as a model and create a national program.

"We were looking for innovative responses to the lack of an adequate home improvement industry for the lower-income communities," he said. "That kind of service seems to have disappeared from low-income housing about 30 years ago. That is because the houses were older, the jobs more difficult and the owners had less money to fix them up.

"As a result many of these people were getting bad services, which introduced them to predatory loans. We are trying to help those with low income protect their assets and keep their houses."

The foundation has selected 12 nationwide sites to participate in the WRAP program; each will receive $100,000 a year for three years to cover administration and education costs.

Freeport is the first of six projects to begin this year. The others are in Hartford; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Rio Grande City, Tex.; and two in Boston. Next year, projects will begin in Staten Island and New Orleans, according to Mark Wolfe, executive director of the nonprofit Energy Programs Consortium, which awards the Ford Foundation grants.

Two major federal grants were received from the Fannie Mae Foundation, which gave Freeport $50,000 for the first year, and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, which gave $30,000.

In Freeport, the energy-saving projects will be financed through a $60,000 three-year grant from the Freeport Electric Company, the village's municipally owned power company; $180,000 from the State Energy Research Development Association; and $600,000 from the federal Department of Energy.

The money for rehabilitation work includes $150,000 from Nassau County for the first year. An application for $500,000 from the state is pending.

Freeport's three-year goal is to weatherize and rehabilitate 195 of the 1,520 houses in the northeast region of the village, said Ms. Garvin. "That is more than 10 percent of that region, the number that a research team from the University of North Carolina feels is necessary to encourage others in the neighborhood to invest in their homes," she said.

According to William F. Glacken, Freeport's mayor, the targeted area had been neglected for 30 years until six years ago, when some rehabilitation began. "These are sturdy houses, but the stock needs a facelift and the WRAP program is perfect to bring the housing back," he said. "These are not tenements or dilapidated houses; they are just tired."

THE average Freeport house sells for $200,000, he said, adding that the median income in the village is $60,000, except in the northeast quadrant, where the median is $40,000. (Currently, the median household income on Long Island for a family of four is $83,700.)

Since Freeport's WRAP program began in December, four houses have been rehabilitated, 14 are in progress, 16 have been put out to bid and there are 60 homeowners on the waiting list, Ms. Garvin said.

There are strict regulations for eligibility in the program. Applicants'incomes must fall below 80 percent of the median household income for Long Island. They must have their names on the house's deed, have homeowner's insurance and be current on their taxes.

Once the work is completed, a lien is placed on the house for the total cost of the project. If the homeowner remains in the house for five years, the lien is forgiven, but if the homeowner or dies within five years, the cost must be repaid.

"We try to stay within $4,000 and $6,000 per house for the energy work and below $15,000 for rehabilitation," Ms. Garvin said. If a house needs more than $21,000 in grant money, the homeowner is referred to Freeport's residential rehabilitation program.

In the case of Mrs. Mays, $20,866 was spent in grant money to cover the project, and another $28,000 came in donated labor from four different local contractors.

Recently, Freeport hosted a gathering of officials who will be setting up WRAP programs in other states. Included was a visit to three homes, including Mrs. Mays's, which have been approved for projects.

One of the houses is a 83-year-old brick and stone four-bedroom Dutch colonial owned by Delores Rivas, who lives in the house with her daughter and four grandchildren. Her two mortgages, which total $702.02 a month, are paid predominantly with child support and Social Security money. The Community Development Corporation is currently helping Mrs. Rivas, who has lived in the house for 20 years, to get her name on the deed since her husband, who was listed alone on the deed, died without a will. Until then, rehabilitation work cannot proceed, but in the meantime the $11,280 energy portion of the project, including a new roof and weatherstripping, has been completed.

A short distance away, a 75-year-old three-bedroom white house with pink trim, owned by Caprice Bateman, will receive a $20,950 renovation that includes a $2,600 lead-abatement project. Ms. Bateman, a corrections officer at Rikers Island, makes $59,000 a year and has a monthly mortgage payment of $1,700. She has lived in the house for five years with her three children. The WRAP project includes replacing a rear stoop, the roof, interior stairways and the front door and insulating the attic.

In observing the Freeport neighborhood, Kevin Washington, the loss prevention coordinator for Staten Island's WRAP program, said it was "similar to Staten Island, only our houses are a little older."

The Staten Island program manager, Richard Trouth, said about 15 houses would be involved in the northern part of the borough, in a section where the annual median income is $35,000 to $42,000.

Katherine Bequary, senior research analyst for Hartford's Community Renewal Team, will be operating the WRAP program in the north-end Blue Hills neighborhood, where the home ownership rate is 55 percent, the highest of any Hartford neighborhoods, she said. Approximately 70 homes are to be rehabilitated.

   http://www.nytimes.com

Copyright 2003 U.S. Newswire, Inc. May 30, 2003, Friday

HEADLINE: Deputy Secretary of Energy McSlarrow Praises Hawaii's Energy and Weatherization Programs

BODY: Deputy Secretary of Energy Kyle McSlarrow praised Hawaii's State Energy and Weatherization Assistance Programs during a visit to Honolulu today.

By improving the energy efficiency in homes, weatherization assistance reduces the burden of energy costs for low-income Americans, especially households with elderly residents, people with disabilities and children. President Bush has made weatherization of low-income homes a priority in his budget requests to Congress. The President's National Energy Plan recommends a $1.4 billion increase in funding for weatherization over 10 years.

"President Bush has proposed increasing weatherization funding by over $60 million in 2004 because he recognizes that this assistance helps to reduce state energy demands and provides significant savings on a family's electric utility bills," McSlarrow said. Energy Department weatherization funds are used for a variety of purposes throughout the United States for those needs relevant to the region. In Hawaii, hot water heating accounts for nearly 40 percent of a family's home energy bill, so weatherization funds are most often used to help families install better hot water heaters and to make other energy-efficient improvements.

Hawaii's Weatherization Assistance Program works in cooperation with community organizations to improve residential energy efficiency for low-income families. Families save money on their utility bills when the program replaces water heaters, installs solar hot water systems and adds insulation.

Hawaii's State Energy Program seeks to develop alternative sources of energy including wind and solar. The state is working to implement a Model Energy Code that could save residents of Hawaii $336 million in energy costs over 20 years, and an Energy Savings Performance Contract to replace inefficient systems and equipment. The State Energy Program also undertakes community programs such as Rebuild Hawaii. Rebuild Hawaii is a public-private partnership that provides technical and financial support for modernizing and upgrading buildings throughout the islands. The State Energy Program will receive $326,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, while the Weatherization Assistance Program will receive $200,000.

For information on qualifying for weatherization assistance and how to apply call the Hawaii weatherization office in Honolulu, at (808) 586-8675. More information on improving a home's energy efficiency can be found at: www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/weatherization (under) assistance and www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/state (under) energy.

Copyright 2003 Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Copyright 2003 Times-News April 27, 2003, Sunday

HEADLINE: The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho, Charitable Contributions Column.

BODY: Wells Fargo Foundation recently contributed $2,500 to South Central Community Action Agency to support its affordable housing program in Magic Valley.

SCCAA, a private, nonprofit organization with offices in Twin Falls, Burley and Jerome, is dedicated to reducing effects of hunger, poverty and homelessness in the valley's eight counties. Currently focusing on homeless families with children, SCAA has nine transitional housing units where families can stay for up to 24 months. The homes are in Twin Falls, Jerome, Cassia and Minidoka counties. Rent is based on families' incomes.

The transitional housing allows time to help the previously homeless families stabilize their lives, keep their children in school, find permanent housing and become self-sufficient. During the past 12 months, the program provided more than 6,500 bed nights for homeless families.

SCCAA also plans to have a transitional duplex operational in Twin Falls in 2003.

Through the recommendations of the Idaho power Energy Efficiency Advisory Group, Idaho Power Co. was able to disperse 2,000 compact fluorescent lamps throughout its service territory to low-income residents. The South Central Community Action Agency in Twin Falls and groups elsewhere in the state received the bulbs to distribute to their clients.

The smaller versions of standard fluorescent lamps consume little energy and have a brightness and color rendition that is comparable to incandescent lights. Unlike standard fluorescent lamps, they can directly replace standard incandescent bulbs. Compact fluorescents last longer, use less energy and produce less heat than incandescents, while producing more light per wait.

South Central Community Action Agency will distribute the bulbs to income-eligible families who receive assistance from its Low-Income Weatherization Program.

Copyright 2003 PR Newswire Association, Inc. PR Newswire April 22, 2003, Tuesday

HEADLINE: Ameren UE to Give $4 Million to Missouri Department of Natural Resources Weatherization Program to Help Low-Income Customers - Largest Private Contribution to the program in Missouri's History.

BODY: AmerenUE today announced that the company is contributing $2 million of a total $4 million contribution to the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center. The contribution is earmarked to help low-income AmerenUE Missouri electric residential customers reduce their bills by conserving energy. This ranks as the single largest private contribution ever made to this program in Missouri.

AmerenUE is making an initial grant of $2 million that is available for distribution now. In addition, $500,000 will be provided on or before June 30 of each year for the next four years.

The contribution comes as part of an electric rate case settlement between AmerenUE and other parties that was approved in 2002 by the Missouri Public Service Commission. Through the settlement, AmerenUE Missouri electric customers are receiving $110 million in phased-in electric rate reductions, in addition to other programs to encourage energy conservation and to provide energy assistance to low-income customers.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center operates the weatherization program with the support of local assistance agencies. The state Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority will manage the $4 million in funding that AmerenUE is providing.

"Our goal with this program is to offer weatherization services that help as many needy customers as possible prepare for hot summer and cold winter weather through energy-efficient improvements that reduce utility bills," says Anita Randolph, energy Center director. "AmerenUE, the Office of Public Counsel and the Staff of the Missouri Public Service Commission have been our partners in developing an approach that will help many more low-income customers conserve energy through the addition of adequate insulation, caulking, weather stripping and more efficient appliances or heating and ventilation systems."

To receive these services, each potential participant who is an active AmerenUE electric customer can contact one of 14 assistance agencies, where a needs assessment will determine which clients receive the services and at what level. These agencies perform weatherization services with their own staffs or contract with vendors to provide needed services based on program criteria.

Ameren President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Rainwater adds that utility has sponsored a number of programs from supporting volunteer efforts to weatherize homes to funding increased use of energy efficient systems to a range of energy education programs. "However, this contribution, simply by its scope, will yield significant benefits to individuals and families who are struggling with their energy bills," says Rainwater.

The participating agencies, the location of their main offices and their phone numbers follow: (Each agency serves multiple counties.)

* In St. Louis City: the urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, (314) 615-3612

* In St. Louis County: Services Toward Empowering People, (314) 431-5991

* In Hillsboro: Jefferson-Franklin Community Action Corporation, (636) 789-2686

* In Maryville: Community Services, Inc. of Northwest Missouri, (660) 582-3114

* In Park Hills: East ;Missouri Action Agency, Inc., (573) 431-5991

* In Portageville: Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation, (573) 379-5701

* In Columbia: Central Missouri Counties; Human Development Corporation, (573) 443-8706

* In Appleton City: West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, (660) 476-2185

* In Marshall: Missouri Valley Community Action Agency, (660) 886-7476

* In Richland: Missouri Ozarks Community Action Agency, (573) 765-3263

* In Trenton: Green Hills Community Action Agency, (660) 359-3907

* In Bowling Green: North East Community Action Corporation (573) 324-2251

* In Kansas City: Kansas City Department of Housing and Community Development, (913) 513-3000

* In Kirksville: Northeast Missouri Community Action Agency, (660) 665-9855

AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. Ameren companies serve 1.7 million electric customers and 500,000 natural gas customers over 49,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois.

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press State & Local Wire April 15, 2003, Tuesday

HEADLINE: Doctor Tells Woman and Children to Leave Insulated Home

BODY: A doctor has ordered an Oxford woman and her two children to stay out of their home until cellulose dust from insulation has been tested.

Since Thursday, Diane Condon has been living in Coralville motel room with her two daughters, Hailey, 4, and Shanea, 6. Medical orders from Dr. Melinda Johnson of University Hospitals came after a chest X-ray showed Hailey has pneumonia. Shanea has both strep throat and a nasal infection. Condon has been coughing for weeks and is on an inhaler. With both girls sick, she's exhausted.

The problem appears to be weeks of exposure to cellulose insulation, a pulverized paper product treated with fire-retardant chemicals. As an insulating material, cellulose fills spaces between wall sand ceilings to improve a home's ability to retain heat.

Condon, 48, responded to a flier in her utility bill and signed up for a statewide weatherization program for low-income homeowners, a program administered locally by Hawkeye Area Community Action Program.

Each year, that agency does energy audits and hires heating contractors to make required improvements to about 260 homes in Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington counties.

The average amount spent per home in the six-county area is $4,200, according to Jeffrey Johnson, HACAP's weatherization program director.

Work on Condon's home began in February and included filling walls and ceilings with insulation. Since then, the living spaces on all levels of her home have been raining cellulose dust and debris.

In response to her concerns, HACAP hired a company to clean up the dust and to caulk ornamental ceiling beams. When the dust problem persisted, HACAP sent another contractor to try to vacuum away the cellulose embedded in the structure. That work began last week and continued Monday.

Condon put on an surgical mask to show a photographer through her home.

"This dust is on everything, down to my toothbrush," she said, making point by using her finger to write her name in the dust on the TV.

Johnson refused comment Monday on Condon's situation, citing confidentiality restrictions. But he said the agency has not had similar problems with other homes.

Condon has contacted her lawyer and her insurance agent. Unable to field calls for her home-based house-cleaning business, her already limited income has now slowed to a trickle. HACAP is paying for her motel room but has expressed to Condon concern about the mounting cost.

"My house has been destroyed," she said. "It would be better if the house had burned to the ground. I just feel so hopeless."

Copyright 2003 The Columbian Publishing Co. The Columbian April 9, 2003, Wednesday

HEADLINE: Analysts Detail Conservation, Energy-Efficiency Savings

BYLINE: Erik Robinson, Columbian staff writer

BODY: Imagine five nuclear power plants the size of the Columbia Generating Station near Richland, each one able to produce enough energy to light up a city the size of Seattle.

Now imagine never having to build them at all.

Analysts for the Northwest Power Planning Council expect the region's residents, businesses and industries will save the equivalent of 5,800 megawatts of electricity through energy efficiency and conservation by the year 2025. The figure includes 2,600 megawatts the region has already conserved since Congress passed the Northwest Power Act in 1980.

"That's a lot of power plants, " said Tome Karier, one of two Washington representatives on the four-state council.

The amount of power we don't use ---- conservation and energy efficiency ---- comes out to just over 9 percent of the Northwest's total energy mix, the analysts said. The power act directs the council to prioritize low-cost conservation before it encourages the development of generation plants.

"It's a fairly sizable component of the region's resource requirement," said Tom Eckman, conservation resources manager for the council.

Building codes that promote energy-efficient design, home weatherization and compact florescent lights are among the developments that have helped to reduce electricity demand since the council's first 20-year power plan in 1983.

In laying out a power plan for the next 20 years, council analysts say the region should be able to find another 3,200 megawatts through conservation and energy efficiency. Even as the cash-strapped Bonneville Power Administration trims its conservation budget, officials expect long-term investments in energy efficiency to continue.

"That will be one of the foundations of our power plan," Karier said.

That's a far cry from the scenario laid out by power planners during the 1970s, when projections of a Northwest energy shortfall prompted many of the region's utilities to embark on an ill-fated nuclear power program. Deep shortages never panned out, due largely to conservation, and the Washington Public Power Supply System managed to build just the single nuclear plan near Richmond before cost overruns led to the biggest municipal bond default in U.S. history.

Conservation isn't always cheap, at least on the front end.

"The thing about conservation is it takes a capital investment up front," said Charles Grist, senior analyst for the power planning council.

That's why BPA has funneled part of the money it collects in rates back to utilities, to spur home weatherization and other projects designed to save money in the long run. Utilities that spent money on conservation even during tight times reaped the benefits when the West Coast energy crisis of 2001 sent wholesale prices skyrocketing, said Sara Patton, executive director of the NW Energy Coalition in Seattle.

"The conservation was a huge hedge," Patton said.

Clark Public Utilities loaned or spend $1.8 million last year on conservation programs, spokesman Mick Shutt said, and the utility has no plans to reduce its conservation budget despite increases in power costs.

"It's been a key part of our resource plan," Shutt said.

During the council's regular monthly meeting in Portland on Tuesday, council staff members presented a draft of a letter criticizing legislation proposed in the U.S. Senate. An amendment suggested by manufacturers would pre-empt state authority for setting certain energy-efficiency standards for appliances, according to the draft letter. If approved by the full council Thursday, the letter will be signed by council Chairwoman Judi Danielson of Idaho and sent to the eight senators representing Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

"Congress has never given the Department of Energy the authority to pre-empt state standards and then do nothing," the letter stated. "We urge you to uphold the rights of states to establish their own standards and to reject the weak, non-consensus standards proposed by manufacturers."

Copyright 2003 National Desk, Energy Reporter U.S. Newswire, Inc. April 4, 2003, Friday

HEADLINE: Energy Department Awards $130.6 Million to 32 States to Weatherize Homes of Low-Income Families

BODY: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced today that the Department of Energy (DOE) will award $120.6 million to 32 states to improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families under the department's Weatherization Assistance Program.

"The weatherization assistance grants being awarded to 32 states will save energy, lower energy costs and increase the comfort of the homes of thousands of families this year," Secretary Abraham said. Increased funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program is a priority for President Bush. The President's National Energy Plan recommends a $1.4 billion increase in funding for Weatherization over 10 years.

Low-income families spend an average of 14 percent of their income on energy, compared with 3.5 percent for the average American. Weatherization reduces an average home's energy costs by $224 a year. The program gives a priority to low-income households with elderly members, people with disabilities and children.

The Weatherization Assistance Program is administered through the states and 970 local agencies. Every state, the District of Columbia, the Navajo Nation and Inter Tribal Council of Arizona will receive weatherization grants this year. The awards announced today are for the 32 states that begin their weatherization year on April 1.

The Congressional appropriation for the Weatherization Assistance Program is $223.5 million in FY 2003 which is expected to cover approximately 93,750 homes. The funding this year is down slightly from $230 million in FY 2002, but up from $153 million in FY 2001. The President has requested $228.2 million or FY 2004. The program performs energy audits to identify the most cost-effective measures for each home which typically include adding insulation, reducing air infiltration, servicing the heating and cooling systems and providing health and safety diagnostic services. For every dollar spent, weatherization returns $1.30 in energy savings over the life of the weatherized home. Other benefits include increased housing affordability, increased property values, job creation, lower owner and renter turnover and reduced fire risks. The Department of Energy's weatherization assistance funds provide training and technical assistance for additional weatherization investments from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, from utility public benefit funds and from other state and local sources.

The grants being awarded today, and the President's weatherization request for FY 2004, are:

• FY 2003 Weatherization Grants
• FY 2004 Presidential Request to Congress [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Alabama[/TD] [TD]$2,365,90[/TD] [TD]$3,599,873[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Alaska[/TD] [TD]$1,651,545[/TD] [TD]$1,963,742[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Arkansas[/TD] [TD]$2,034,869[/TD] [TD]$2,677,960[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]California[/TD] [TD]$6,184,856[/TD] [TD]$9,735,894[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Connecticut[/TD] [TD]$2,463,509[/TD] [TD]$3,452,137[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Delaware[/TD] [TD]$565,620[/TD] [TD]$756,273[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Florida[/TD] [TD]$1,923,719[/TD] [TD]$3,470,117[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Hawaii[/TD] [TD]$201,583[/TD] [TD]$265,389[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Idaho[/TD] [TD]$1,939,538[/TD] [TD]$2,308,487[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Indiana[/TD] [TD]$6,436,551[/TD] [TD]$8,004,614[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Iowa[/TD] [TD]$4,902,155[/TD] [TD]$5,889,006[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kansas[/TD] [TD]$2,486,735[/TD] [TD]$3,190,239[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Louisiana[/TD] [TD]$1,701,665[/TD] [TD]$2,496,810[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Maine[/TD] [TD]$3,014,901[/TD] [TD]$3,748,865[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Massachusetts[/TD] [TD]$6,433,790[/TD] [TD]$8,194,986[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Michigan[/TD] [TD]$14,922,914[/TD] [TD]$17,770,966[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mississippi[/TD] [TD]$1,620,261[/TD] [TD]$2,324,885[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Montana[/TD] [TD]$2,475,828[/TD] [TD]$2,868,425[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Nevada[/TD] [TD]$821,553[/TD] [TD]$1,174,134[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]New Hampshire[/TD] [TD]$1,482,885[/TD] [TD]$1,859,922[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]New Jersey[/TD] [TD]$5,013,603[/TD] [TD]$6,906,589[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]New York[/TD] [TD]$19,815,430[/TD] [TD]$27,175,489[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ohio[/TD] [TD]$13,499,255[/TD] [TD]$16,873,024[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Oklahoma[/TD] [TD]$2,546,639[/TD] [TD]$3,317,537[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Oregon[/TD] [TD]$2,772,488[/TD] [TD]$3,452,046[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Rhode Island[/TD] [TD]$1,136,666[/TD] [TD]$1,492,282[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]South Carolina[/TD] [TD]$1,745,053[/TD] [TD]$2,580,813[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tennessee[/TD] [TD]$4,108,598[/TD] [TD]$5,673,020[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Texas[/TD] [TD]$5,477,906[/TD] [TD]$8,384,074[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Vermont[/TD] [TD]$1,256,227[/TD] [TD]$1,546,649[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Washington[/TD] [TD]$4,460,953[/TD] [TD]$5,520,726[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]West Virginia[/TD] [TD]$3,155,983[/TD] [TD]$3,907,514[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

More information on DOE's programs to improve the energy efficiency of buildings is available on DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network website at http://www.eren.energy.gov/buildings or by calling 1-800/DOE-3732.

Copyright 2003 Media General Newspapers, Inc. Washington County News April 2, 2003

HEADLINE: PROGRAM LOOKS TO HEAT HOMES, FIGHT CARBON MONOXIDE

BYLINE: Rain Smith

BODY: The Weatherization Assistance program was established in Virginia in 1975, in response to a nationwide energy shortage.

The program, administered locally by People Inc. of Southwest Virginia, is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through grants to the state Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Social Services.

"The purpose of it is to reduce the home-heating cost of low-income clients, which sometimes can take more than 50 percent of their monthly income just for heat," said Fred Gross, People Inc.'s weatherization coordinator. "It has evolved into, a highly technical, very efficient program. A pilot study we did in the early 1990s documented saving 76 percent of their heating bill."

Gross said when the program began, clients saved on average of only 4 percent on their heating bills. Taping plastic over windows was nearly the extent of the program's efforts then, Gross said. But over the past 20 years it has expanded energy-efficient lighting and repairing and replacing inefficient of unsafe heating and cooling systems.

People Inc. began using a blower door in 1985. The blower door pressurizes a home, allowing technicians to find air leaks and determine the most effective energy measures needed for a home.

"A lot of houses have what we call hidden bypasses throughout the framing where the heat leaves regardless of how much conventional insulation you might have," Gross said. "These houses often have heat bills of four or five hundred dollars a month. As we began to get homes really tight, we realized a lot of these homes had unsafe heating systems. We found there were a lot of heating systems, both old and new, that had extreme safety problems."

The most glaring problem the program discovered was large amounts of carbon monoxide in homes. Gross said 40 percent of the heating systems they test, new and old, produce carbon monoxide, which circulates through through the home, creating health risks for the inhabitants. Carbon monoxide often escapes through faulty duct systems.

"Often times they are intentionally made to leak," Gross said of duct systems installed by contractors. "The cold-air return is one of the worst things. Contractors have traditionally thought of it as just that, a cold air return. But that's not really what it is supposed to do. It is supposed to keep the air inside the house circulating."

Gross said if a cold-air return is located in a basement or crawl space, it is particularly dangerous for those in the home. Chemicals, mold, mildew and animal waste in these spaces will be pulled from the area and circulated throughout the home. In the same way, cold-air returns can pull carbon monoxide from the chimney and disperse it through a home.

D ue to the seriousness of carbon monoxide poisoning, People, Inc. has made testing for the gas the norm in homes it works on.

"(Carbon monoxide) is measured in parts per-million," Gross said. "We're not allowed to have over nine parts per-million inside the house. That means if you took a cubic inch of air out of the house and divided it up into a million parts, it can't have more than nine. Just a small amount, as much as 20 or 25 parts per-million, can give you headaches and flu-like symptoms. If it gets much higher it causes unconsciousness or even death."

The People Inc. weatherization program is a year-round program and annually helps 90 homes in Washington and Buchanan counties and in Bristol, VA.

To qualify for assistance, a household must be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline, which vary from $11,600 per year for a household of one, to $23,920 per year for a house hold of four.

For more information or to apply for assistance, call People Inc. at (276) 628-9188, or stop by the office at 1173 W. Main St., Abingdon.

Copyright 2003 Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Copyright 2003 The Montana Standard
March 10, 2003, Monday

HEADLINE: Butte, Mont., Copper Mine Operation Donates $ 159,000 for Energy Assistance

BODY: Steve Walsh, president of Montana Resources, and Mike Halligan, director of corporate affairs for Washington Corp., recently presented a check for $ 158,803 to the Human Resources Council District 12.

The money is the result of the idled copper mine's decision to self-direct its Universal System Benefit fund paid to NorthWestern Energy.

USB charges are assessed to each utility customer in the state in a ratio of dollars to kilowatt-hour usage. Funds are then used for energy conservation, market transformation, low-income assistance and irrigation. Large level consumers, like Montana Resources, are allowed to self-direct the funds for energy assistance of conservation programs.

The Human Resources Council will use the money to provide low-income energy assistance and weatherization to qualifying recipients in Southwestern Montana. This will enable the weatherization of 300 homes over the next three years.

Also, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation provided 2002 sustaining grants to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Butte, HRC District 12, the United Way of Silver Bow County, the YMCA of Butte and scholarship funding to Montana Tech.

Copyright 2003 Providence Publications, LLC The Providence Journal-Bulletin (Providence, RI)
March 5, 2003, Wednesday South County Edition

HEADLINE: The high cost of Keeping Warm - Community action center provides help

BYLINE: Megan Matteucci Journal Staff

BODY: Grace Beaudet spent most of her time huddling under a blanket, reading Readers' Digest or the tabloids. It was too cold to do anything else.

Last week, though, it was hard to concentrate on the latest gossip with all the hammering and drilling going on at her Wakefield home.

But Beaudet said all that racket was worth it.

Beaudet, 77, lives alone in her 40-year-old home on Broad Rock Road. A former garage, the house has no insulation. But Beaudet said she never noticed until this winter.

"Since I got older, I've noticed it more. Your blood gets thinner and you feel the cold more," she said. "I don't think we've had a winter like this in quite a while."

She struggles to pay her monthly expenses, and the rising cost of heating fuel makes it that much more difficult. But finally she's getting some help.

The South County Community Action Center spent the last few weeks installing insulation, sealing windows and checking air ducts as part of its free home weatherization program. The program is for low-income residents with high heating costs.

"It's awful. I thank God my house is paid for," Beaudet said. "The way the taxes are in this community, it's ungodly. They help the seniors, but not much. People move down here and want service galore. That's fine for working folks, but not for the elderly."

Beaudet, who heats her four-bedroom home with oil, said sometimes the bill is just too high to keep the thermostat up. All winter, she's been turning the heat down at night and piling on more blankets.

Although she's unsure of the cost savings because she hasn't had to refill her oil tank since the insulation was installed, Beaudet said she can definitely feel the difference.

"It's really has helped. It's been a lot warmer," she said.

According the state energy office, the weatherization process usually cuts bills by 25 percent to 30 percent. The program, which is financed by the U.S. Department of Energy, assists low-income families that spend more than 14 percent of their income on energy. A household should spend about 3.5 percent on energy.

But with the average price of oil last week reaching $1.94 a gallon, that's near impossible, according to the state energy office. And with limited affordable housing in Washington County, low-income families and the elderly have few options, said Linda Gilman, fuel assistance coordinator for the South County Community Action Center.

"Pricing for rent is sky-high. $1,300 a month is way out of reach for low-income people," Gilman said. "Of course, you're going to pay for rent and food, not fuel."

Last year, Beaudet spent more than $1,000 to heat her home for the winter. Beaudet said this year's bill will probably be the same, but hopefully the weatherization will help.

"I keep all the slips and see the prices go up each time, but what are you going to do," she said. "You got to pay it or live without. If I had to live on my own Social Security, I would never have made it."

Beaudet, who used to work at the University of Rhode Island as a cook and part-time at the Point Judith Country Club, survives on her husband's monthly Social Security checks. Her husband, a former commercial fisherman in Narragansett, died three years ago. "I watch all my money. I have to," Beaudet said. "I'm not able to go many places, but it's better than the alternative."

"I'm alone, but I love my house. I suppose eventually I'll have to sell it," she said. "The upkeep is too much. My husband used to do all the work."

Beaudet has a wood-burning stove in her living room, but doesn't use it. With arthritis in her back, two knee surgeries, a hip replacement and open heart surgery in the last couple years, Beaudet is unable to lift the wood.

Beaudet found out about the weatherization program through the Community Action Center after representatives came to the senior citizens' center and asked if anyone needed help. A week or two after Beaudet signed up, workers came and inspected her house and began installing insulation in the attic and crawl space.

The center provides heating assistance and weatherization to families in need. To apply for assistance, residents must submit an application to the center.

In South County this year, the center has helped 1,915 families with heating assistance and 130 with weatherization -- and there are more applications pending.

Families aren't the only ones struggling in the cold. With limited federal funding available, the Community Action Center received only level funding.

"We have been bombarded with the cold weather and snow. We are trying to help, but if the cold stays this way, there's a good possibility we could be out of money in just a few weeks," Gilman said.

To be eligible for assistance, a person alone must make under $20,160 a year. A two-person household cannot make more than $26,362.

For more information, contact the center at 789-3016.

* * *

Copyright 2003 Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) All Rights Reserved Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) February 23, 2003 Sunday

HEADLINE: Heating aid money available

BODY: As Hoosiers continue to battle cold temperatures and escalating heating bills this winter, consumers will soon receive an additional $1.7 million in energy assistance and other benefits.

An agreement among the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, Citizens Gas & Coke Utility, Vectren Energy Delivery and other consumer parties provides the following benefits this winter:

* $1 million for the state's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

* $165,000 for weatherization programs that reduce consumers' gas consumption.

* $235,000 to replace old, inefficient gas furnaces and appliances.

* $65,000 to help restore service later this year to customers with outstanding bills.

* $235,000 to be used by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to leverage an additional $900,000 in matching federal dollars through the Chafee Independent Living Funds. The funds assist young, at-risk adults with utility payments and other expenses. That additional federal funding could push the $1.7 million to $2.6 million this year.

"This money comes when Hoosiers need it most," said John Hamilton, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. "The extra $1 million for LIHEAP will help people who need help paying energy bills now. And money for weatherization and other benefits will help consumers by lowering their energy costs in the long run."

Indiana Utility Consumer counselor Anne E. Becker said the assistance stems from a ProLiance Energy LLC settlement, where the state was able to resolve long-term concerns about sharing revenue from utility savings last year. ProLiance Energy was created as a joint venture of Citizens and Vectren, with the purpose of purchasing gas for the utilities on the competitive wholesale market.

"These funds for customers with special needs and the more than $6 million that was distributed to all of our customers this past December are part of Citizens Gas' continued efforts to find ways to hold down consumer costs," said David Griffiths, president and chief executive of Citizens Gas.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program to help low-income consumers pay their energy bills during the winter's coldest and summer's hottest months. The $1 million in LIHEAP money will be distributed through FSSA to Community Action Agencies that serve consumers in the Citizens and Vectren service territories.

The money from the ProLiance agreement is separate from other LIHEAP dollars FSSA has released in recent weeks. For more information regarding LIHEAP, consumers can call FSSA at (800) 622-4973.

Indiana law prohibits gas and electric utilities from disconnecting consumers who qualify and have applied for LIHEAP from Dec. 1 through March 15.

But this safeguard does not remove the consumer's responsibility to pay bills on time and in full, or the consumer's responsibility to contact the utility to make payment arrangements if necessary.

The additional funding is the result of an agreement approved in July by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. That agreement resolved numerous issues related to ProLiance Energy, LLC, including provisions for sharing customer benefits.

The Associated Press State & Local Wire February 17, 2003, Monday, BC cycle

HEADLINE: Lawmakers eye energy fund as new source of revenue

BYLINE: By STEPHEN SINGER, Associated Press Writer

BODY: Lawmakers, casting a wide net for revenue in Connecticut's worst budget crisis in more than a decade, may tap a consumer-financed energy fund to pay the state's electric bills.

The Energy Conservation Load Management Fund, established as part of electric deregulation in 1999, has generated $86 million to support energy efficiency programs.

With a budget deficit this year of $650 million and a projected budget hole next year of up to $2 billion, legislators are tempted by a proposal to dip into the energy fund at the rate of $1 million a month through July 2005.

A top lawmaker says it's only a proposal. But environmentalists, utilities and others call it a $30 million raid on a designated fund and issued a blunt warning to legislative leaders: hands off.

"These funds were identified and earmarked by legislation to help companies be more energy efficient and competitive," said Chris Riley, spokesman for Connecticut Light & Power. "Diminishing these funds will have an adverse effect on the environment and Connecticut's economic development."

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is a member of the Energy Conservation Management Board, which advises the state Department of Public Utility Control, CL&P and the United Illuminating Co. on conservation program funding. He said diverting money "raises very grave questions of fairness and accountability."

"In the long run the price in economic and energy terms is greater than the savings," he said. "The savings is short-term and probably very shortsighted."

Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said it's only an idea, one that could be dropped during budget negotiations between Democrats - who control the legislature - and Republican Gov. John G. Rowland.

"I can't say it will be adopted at this stage as part of the revenue package, " he said.

But Looney, former Senate chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, defended in general the practice of looking at all sources of revenue, including dedicated funds.

"Difficult times call for measures not ordinarily taken in good times," he said.

The fund is financed by utility customers who pay 0.3 cents per kilowatt hour in their monthly electric bills. It is credited by supporters with helping to reduce stress on transmission and distribution lines in the state by about 100 megawatts.

It has financed training and home inspections to certify proper installation of energy-efficient appliances and lighting, weatherization, home energy audits and other residential and commercial programs.

The conservation and management board also financed 15 research and development programs in the past year. One project by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, a nonprofit organization in Rocky Hill, studied converting manure on Connecticut farms into energy, said Jeff Blodgett, vice president of research at CERC.

Environmental issues such as waste and runoff control also will be studied, he said.

"It is kind of neat to see what people can do, what they can develop," Blodgett said.

The energy conservation fund was tapped last year when lawmakers took $12 million from the fund to be used by the state Department of Public Works. Administrators of the fund cut spending across the board.

Joel Gordes, an environmental consultant in Riverton, said lawmakers set a bad precedent.

"We have another deficit to meet," he said.

The Associated Press State & Local Wire February 14, 2003, Friday, BC cycle

HEADLINE: Cold winter and high fuel prices pinch low-income Vermonters

BYLINE: By LISA RATHKE, Associated Press Writer

BODY: Elmer Edwards has put off buying a pair of long underwear this winter to make sure he has enough money to pay for heat.

Edwards, 84, received about $425 in fuel assistance from the state but expects to pay twice that to heat his home through the winter.

"I don't dare turn the heat up," he said from a wheelchair in his kitchen, admitting he liked to keep his home warm.

Cold temperatures and skyrocketing fuel prices have made it harder for low-income Vermonters to stay warm this winter.

The concern has sparked a debate in the Statehouse about whether to tap a fund designated for home weatherization to help low income Vermonters pay for fuel.

Funding from the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program known as LIHEAP so far has helped Vermont households who receive fuel assistance get by. Vermont is slated to receive $11.2 million dollars from the program, including the $200 million in emergency funds that were released last month. An additional $1 million in emergency funds is also expected to be released.

The state is set to send out bonus payments of $225 to households that receive fuel assistance, said state fuel assistance chief Pam Dalley.

But advocates say low-income households are having to pay 110 percent more in out-of-pocket fuel expenses this winter than last winter.

"Even with a lot of the good news we've heard as of late, people, because of the cost of fuel, because it's been so cold, they're going to end up with a lot more money out of their pockets than they can afford," said Charles Castle, head of the Central Vermont Council on Aging.

Households who paid $409 in out of pocket fuel expenses last winter are paying $850 this winter, he said.

And some of the roughly 14,000 households already have used up their fuel benefit from the state, he said. The average $425 payment typically covers half their heating costs, he said.

Castle and other advocates want to take $3 million from a fund that pays to have homes weatherized to pay for fuel. The fund can be tapped for fuel assistance if there is severe need.

"There is $3 (million) to $4 million sitting in an account that the state can release to help these people and if now is not a year to do that we can't imagine a year that would be," said Michael Sirotkin, a lobbyist for the Coalition of Vermont Elders.

Others agencies say taking money away from the fund to pay fuel costs is poor policy.

"In my view it's perfectly idiotic. It's essentially raiding the prevention program to treat the immediate need," said Tim Searles, head of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity in Burlington. "Weatherization is a long term solution for low income people to meet their energy needs."

The Vermont House passed a bill Friday that would allow $500,000 of the home weatherization fund to be used for fuel assistance. The bill calls for the weatherization funds to be restored if the federal government releases more than $12 million in LIHEAP funding.

Searles, whose office administers private and publicly funded crisis fuel aid programs for people in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, said the demand for crisis fuel aid has risen sharply this year because of the cold weather.

He said more LIHEAP funding is needed to meet fuel needs in the spring.

"I really hope they release the emergency funds. I'm worried about spring," he said.

He said there's enough federal money to help his clients through the winter, he said.

"I think we in the crisis component are going to be able meet the emergency out there," Searles said. "If people are in a situation where they have run out of fuel, there are resources out there."

Copyright 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. Portland Press Herald February 11, 2003 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Bush wants to give state more funds to boost energy efficiency of homes

BYLINE: SELENA RICKS Staff Writer

BODY: The Bush administration's proposed budget would allow Maine to increase spending next year on a program that helps hundreds of low-income households improve energy efficiency and stay warm. President Bush is requesting $288 million for home weatherization programs across the country in his 2004 federal budget, an $11 million increase over last year. Maine's share would be $3.7 million.

The budget announcement was made Monday by a Department of Energy official who visited an Anthoine Street home being upgraded through the Maine State Housing Authority's Weatherization Assistance Program.

"This is the highest amount a president has ever requested for home weatherization," said Doug Faulkner, principal deputy assistant secretary in the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Saving energy has several benefits. . . . As we strive to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, the importance of such efforts cannot be overstated."

Faulkner estimated that weatherization decreases national energy consumption by 15 million barrels of oil every year.

During his 2000 campaign for the presidency, Bush promised to increase funding for weatherization programs by $1.4 billion over the next 10 years.

"This is a priority," said Faulkner. "It's part of reaching out to those less fortunate."

Peter Wintle, director of energy and housing services for MSHA, said the proposed funding increase would be the second in a row for Maine after years of decreases.

"The program was cut by almost 50 percent four years ago," said Wintle. "Every community action agency (in Maine) has a waiting list for the program. . . . If this is approved, we can begin to whittle down that waiting list and help more people in the future."

Using a combination of grants from the departments of Energy and Health and Human Services, Maine's weatherization program serves about 1,600 households each year. Priority is given to the elderly, people with disabilities, and households with children.

The program helps pay for weatherstripping, insulation and new furnaces and is considered a long-term solution for low-income families dealing with high energy and heating costs winter after winter. Officials estimate that many of the 93,000 low-income households in Maine spend 14 percent to 18 percent of their annual income on energy.

Donna L'Heureux, whose house was the site of Faulkner's announcement Monday, said in recent years she's been spending $100 a week just to heat her 1930s-era home. Officials said L'Heureux's 40-year-old heating system was barely functioning.

"When this house was built, they didn't put insulation on houses," said L'Heureux, a 67-year-old widow who has owned her home for 25 years.

Over the next few months, L'Heureux's home will be renovated using grants from several state and federal agencies. Improvements include a new boiler, insulation for her walls and roof, and weatherstripping around her doors.

The project should reduce her fuel consumption by a third, officials said. That would mean a savings of about $550 per year.

GRAPHIC: Staff photo by Herb Swanson Tony Gill of the Maine State Housing Authority explains how heat loss is measured in a South Portland home Monday. Doug Faulkner, right, works for the Department of Energy, which provides weatherization aid.

The Associated Press State & Local Wire February 11, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle

HEADLINE: Energy secretary says Iowans to get weatherization help

BYLINE: By AMY LORENTZEN, Associated Press Writer

BODY: U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham visited central Iowa on Tuesday to announce that the Bush administration is requesting nearly $5.9 million in federal funds for the state's weatherization program.

There are lots of energy programs, Abraham said, "but none that do as much good in the day to day lives of families as the weatherization one."

The secretary toured the southwest Des Moines home of 82-year-old LaVera Cunningham on Tuesday, a clear winter day with an afternoon high about 39 degrees.

He was joined by Assistant Energy Secretary David Garman and state and local energy officials as they inspected improvements made to Cunningham's home through the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, which focuses on making homes more energy efficient and dropping utility bills for low-income families.

The home recently was updated with additional wall and attic insulation, as well as a new furnace, water heater and refrigerator. The price tag for the improvements was about $8,500.

Cunningham, who's lived in the small, two-story house for 44 years, predicted her utility bills, which once topped $250, would be up to 50 percent less each month with the improvements.

"There will be big savings," she said. "Now I can stay in my house longer - or forever."

The weatherization program provides a variety of services to reduce heating and cooling costs for about 1,200 low-income Iowans each year, Abraham said. That number likely will double in the year ahead, he said.

The program provides additional insulation and energy efficient appliances if they are found to be unsafe or inefficient.

The Weatherization Assistance Program funds are awarded through a formula that factors the states' low-income population and weather, said Jim Newton, who oversees the program in Iowa.

"We do get some credit for living in a cold weather area of the country," he said.

The request for Iowa funds for fiscal year 2004 is up $800,000 from the $5.1 million appropriated for 2002, Newton said. The amount for fiscal year 2003 hasn't been passed by Congress yet, but about $5.7 million was requested.

The services are administered by local community action agencies. Some agencies ran out of funds in January and must wait for the 2003 funds to kick in April 1, Newton said.

Up to 80,000 eligible Iowans were not served this year, he said.

"There's quite a number that still need weatherization," he said.

Mike Strader is the weatherization program manager for the Operation New View Community Action Agency in Dubuque. He said there's a database of about 4,000 people waiting for energy services in the three-county area his agency covers.

"When the cold weather hits, yeah, people want the service," Strader said. "They do have to go on the back burner at that point. If there is a crisis situation then we can kind of jump the priorities a bit."

President Bush requested $288 million in national weatherization funds for fiscal year 2004 and recommended that funding be increased by $1.4 billion over the next 10 years.

About 126,000 low-income families nationwide are expected to benefit from the program this year - a 20 percent increase over 2002. More than 5 million homes have been weatherized with federal funds since the program began in 1976.

Abraham blamed increased U.S. energy consumption and international issues, including a recent oil strike in Venezuela, for rising energy costs.

"The energy markets themselves have been reacting to international issues, especially questions about what might happen in Iraq," he said.

Copyright 2003 Financial Times Information All rights reserved Global News Wire Regulatory Intelligence Data February 11, 2003

HEADLINE: SECRETARY OF ENERGY SPENCER ABRAHAM HIGHLIGHTS ENERGY SAVINGS

BODY: DES MOINES, IOWA --Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham traveled to Iowa today to focus attention on the federal weatherization assistance programs that help low income families brave cold winters. President Bush's 2004 Budget includes $ 5,889,006 in weatherization assistance for Iowa to improve the energy efficiency of hundreds of low-income households. Iowa's grant will be handled through the Department of Human Rights Division of Community Action Agencies in Des Moines.

Secretary Abraham was in Des Moines to visit a single-family home being weatherized. He was joined by state and local officials including William Brand, the Weatherization Division Administrator of the Iowa Department of Human Rights, and Marcy Rafdal, the City of Des Moines Community Development Weatherization Program Auditor.

"As temperatures in Iowa are falling to sub-zero levels, the funds for weatherization assistance are rising to help low income families," Abraham said. "President Bush is keeping his commitment to increase weatherization assistance and provide energy-saving home improvements to hundreds of thousands of low-income families this year across the country."

The President's National Energy Policy made the Weatherization Assistance Program a priority recommending that funding be increased by $ 1.4 billion over 10 years. President Bush's 2004 Budget includes $ 288.2 million for weatherization assistance. This year, weatherization assistance will reduce the energy bills of approximately 126,000 low-income families nationwide -a 20 percent increase over 2002.

"At current production rates, weatherization decreases national energy consumption by the equivalent of 15 million barrels of oil every year," Abraham added. "As we strive to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, the importance of such efforts cannot be overstated."

More information on DOE's programs to improve the energy efficiency of buildings is available on DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network website: http:/ /www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ weatherization_assistance/ or by calling 1-800/DOE-3732.

Copyright 2003 Business Wire, Inc. Business Wire February 10, 2003, Monday

HEADLINE: Energy $aving Partners Announces Refrigerator Replacements for Income-Qualified Colorado Residents; Program Replaces Inefficient Electricity-Consuming Models at No Cost to Qualified Customers

BODY: Energy $aving Partners, which provides cost-effective household energy efficiency and weatherization upgrades to low-income, senior and physically challenged Coloradoans, announced it will begin replacing older inefficient refrigerators with new energy efficient models.

Low-income customers, through this program, will have the opportunity to replace their old refrigerators. The eligible customers will be offered a new, white, 15-, 18- or 22-cubic-foot non-CFC refrigerator, which is approximately 10 percent more energy-efficient than the current federal standard.

The program's goal is to install approximately 1,400 replacement refrigerators in the homes of eligible customers, primarily single-family residences, over a 12-month period. To qualify, customers must agree to have an E $P agency determine if it is cost effective to replace their refrigerator and agree to have their existing refrigerator permanently removed from their home. All removed refrigerators will be recycled. Whirlpool Corporation was the successful bidder to provide, install and recycle the refrigerators.

Energy $aving Partners (E $P) is administered by the Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) and receives funds from U.S. Department of Energy, Xcel Energy and the Colorado Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Other E $P services include: comprehensive energy audits; attic, wall and crawlspace insulation; air-leakage reduction; forced-air furnace efficiency assessment; appliance safety inspection; high-efficiency lighting survey; and other potential safety problem inspections.

"Weatherization reduces energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of homes, while ensuring their health and safety. Colorado residents who are eligible to receive home weatherization are offered a variety of cost-effective energy efficiency services at no charge," said Gene Barfield, E $P State program manager/OEMC deputy director. "E $P has reduced its overhead and administration costs by 38 percent over the last five years. This savings is being passed on to our clients by providing one more way to reduce utility costs."

To find out if you or someone you know is eligible for no-cost weatherization services, call toll-free 888/HEATLINE (888/432-8546). Your local service agency can answer questions about the program and assist with the application process. Eligible housing types include single-family houses, mobile homes and multifamily units for both renters and homeowners. Individuals who receive benefits from a number of low-income assistance programs, such as AND, LIHEAP, SSI, TANF and COAP, automatically qualify to receive E $P services.

For more information on Energy $aving Partners refrigerator replacements or other services, contact Gene Barfield, gene.barfield@state.co.us or call (303) 894-2383 x1233, (800) 632-6662.

Copyright 2003 Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
February 9, 2003

HEADLINE: Many East Tennessee families worry over hike in utility bills; TVA's proposed increase would most likely hit elderly, poor hardest
BYLINE: BY REBECCA FERRAR,

BODY: James and Lisa Purdy, like many East Tennessee families living on the financial edge, face tough times paying their electric bill during the winter months.

They are worried that TVA's proposed rate increase for residential customers will make paying their bills even tougher, and officials who help low-income families are concerned, too.

"I do believe if TVA raises rates, it would be stressful," James Purdy said.

TVA has proposed raising residential and commercial rates by 8.1 percent while cutting industrial rates by 2 percent. KUB says the residential rate increase means about $4 to $6 more per month on an average electric bill.

"Why would you want your elderly people and people that need help to pay more?" wondered Kim Mazon, a single mother of two children who has sought help from the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee to pay her electric bill.

"Big industry definitely has money to pay their utility bill. Why would they (TVA) even consider giving them a cut?" Her three-bedroom apartment in East Knoxville is on the ground floor and is cold and drafty, she said. "I'm trying to pay a $100 light bill, plus $318 month rent" and provide for two children.

"It's hard," Mazon said. "I'm really worried about the elderly people who get only one check a month.

Purdy says his bill is $160 this particularly cold month -- $50 higher than previous bills -- and his property taxes also are due.

"If that $6 was due this month, it would be like $1,000 to me," said Purdy, who is on medical leave from Greyhound Bus Lines and has applied for disability because of injuries sustained in an accident. His wife cares for their children, Sierra, 8; Chelsea, 6; and Noah, 3.

The Purdys, who live in Halls, also get help from CAC.

Barbara Kelly, CAC executive director, said any increase in electric bills will affect people who live on "slim margins."

"We provide energy assistance to a very, very large number of senior citizens, disabled citizens and people with young children," Kelly said. "Paying utility bills is one of the biggest problems we have. We work closely with the utilities and churches, and we continue to have people that are significantly challenged to make ends meet."

Cecelia Waters, CAC director of energy and housing services, oversees CAC's programs to assist low-income families to pay utility bills and to weatherize poorly insulated homes to reduce utility bills.

"Families who are on fixed incomes, the elderly, disabled and working families are always struggling with the cost of energy," Waters said. "They are vulnerable. Any fluctuation (in electric rates) on these families with fixed incomes does make a difference."

CAC's weatherization program allows up to $3,000 to better insulate a home to reduce utility bills. CAC offers qualified families assistance once a year of up to $350 to pay electric bills or purchase wood, kerosene or other fuels under its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

These are entitlement programs with eligibility based on income. The federal government is providing $476,963 for weatherization and $1.89 million for energy assistance in Knox County in the current year.

CAC sends out 6,000 applications in August to people who have received the agency's help in the past to pay utility bills or buy fuel.

The energy assistance program serves about 4,000 people a year, and at least 135 homes are expected to be weatherized under the current budget.

Because this involves federal funding, these energy programs are available in all U.S. counties.

Calvin Taylor, director of the CAC's Family Assistance Program, said his program reaches about 2,500 Knox County residents each year with a budget of $ 290,000 -- $250,000 in funding from the county and the remainder from the federal government.

Taylor says applicants must show a "financial hardship" in paying for rent, mortgage, utilities or other expenses to qualify for up to $500 in assistance. Applicants may receive assistance once a year with their utility bills if they live in "affordable" housing.

"There's a significant number of people who have an inadequate income," Taylor said. "The thing that's a killer is rent, utilities and medicines. People just don't have enough to live on."

Many people are "barely getting by" even with help from social service agencies, he said.

"An 8.1 percent increase doesn't sound like a lot to many people, but it may as well be $30 to $40," he said.

Complicating the problem is that many of the low-income families live in older, poorly insulated homes and apartments that "they can't afford to upgrade and modernize," Taylor said.

Those kinds of homes, for example, led to a family's $920 electric bill two years ago. And those same homes wind up with the astronomical electric bills each winter, no matter which family is living there, he said.

With the coldest weather in several years, Taylor said he expects clients to come to CAC with bills as much as $1,500.

"It's going to bring some really interesting challenges and decisions," he said.

Copyright 2003 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette February 06, 2003, Thursday

HEADLINE: Weatherization, new-fuel bills sail (excerpt)
BYLINE: BY MICHAEL ROWETT AND MICHAEL R. WICKLINE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

BODY: The Arkansas House of Representatives and the state Senate approved identical bills Wednesday that would create an alternative-fuel fund and a weatherization assistance fund for lowincome homeowners. Senate Bill 173 by Sen. Tracy Steele, D-North Little Rock, was approved 30-0 by the Senate. House Bill 1306 by Rep. Joyce Dees, D-Hermitage, was approved 66-27 by the House. Opponents contended the bills would impose an involuntary tax on residential utility customers. SB173 goes to the House. HB1306 goes to the Senate. Introducing identical bills in the opposite chambers is a tactic used to ensure that if one bill stalls in a chamber, another could still become law. Both bills would: Create a fund to finance grants for research into alternative fuels. Another bill, HB1027 by Dees, which was approved 84-5 by the House on Wednesday, would create an Alternative Fuels Commission to supervise allocation of the grants. Create a weatherization assistance fund to supplement a federal program that pays for such things as weather-stripping doors and windows, installing storm windows and repairing and retrofitting furnaces. The two funds would be financed by assessments on electric and natural gas utilities that choose to participate. Of the money generated, 70 percent would go to the weatherization assistance program and 30 percent to the alternative-fuel fund. Each contributing electric utility would be assessed a fee of one-tenth of 1 cent per kilowatt hour sold to each residential customer in the state, capped at $ 1 per customer in any month. Each contributing natural gas utility would be assessed a fee of one-tenth of 1 cent per hundred cubic feet sold to each residential customer, also capped at $ 1 per customer in any month. SB173 and HB1306 would allow an electric or natural gas utility to contribute to these funds by notifying the state Department of Finance and Administration in writing. So far, the only utility that has signed up is Entergy Arkansas, the state's largest provider of electricity, Steele and Dees told lawmakers Wednesday. Entergy's participation should generate $ 6.5 million to $ 7 million a year for the funds, Steele said

Steele said the state weatherization assistance program would help households with incomes of less than 200 percent of the poverty level. Federal funding for weatherization assistance has declined, and the program has been virtually ineffective, he said. Cracks in walls and ceilings and drafts that blow under and around ill-fitting doors and windows can add hundreds of dollars a year to the costs of heating or cooling a home. Dees said these costs hit low-income people the hardest. "This bill is something that will help people in all of your districts," Dees told the House. "These people can't afford otherwise to do this." Opponents said it's unfair to allow utilities to recoup weatherization costs by assessing a surcharge on residential customers. "A mandatory fee is a tax, is a tax, is a tax," said Rep. Susan Schulte, R-Cabot.

Copyright 2003 The Indianapolis Star All Rights Reserved February 5, 2003 Wednesday

HEADLINE: ACROSS OUR REGION ; City/State (excerpt)

BODY: Agreement with utilities to benefit gas customers

Consumers will receive $1.7 million in energy assistance and other benefits under an agreement between the Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor and Citizens Gas & Coke Utility and Vectren Energy Delivery.

The deal will pay: $1 million to the state's low-income energy assistance program; $235,000 to a state program to help families with utility payments and other expenses; $165,000 for weatherization programs; $235,000 to replace old gas furnaces and appliances; and $65,000 to restore service to customers with unpaid balances on their bills.

The funds are for customers in the Citizens Gas and Vectren service areas. Community action offices have eligibility details.

The money is part of a settlement involving ProLiance Energy, an unregulated joint venture Vectren and Citizens formed in 1996 to buy and sell natural gas. Consumer groups complained the utilities were not sharing ProLiance profits with customers as required.

Copyright 2003 Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) All Rights Reserved Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) February 1, 2003 Saturday

HEADLINE: Energy-assistance need in area grows

BODY: But fewer dollars are available to offset costs.

Getting help

If you are a lower-income resident struggling to pay your high energy bills, you should contact your energy provider to find out if it offers any assistance.

To schedule an appointment with the Mid-Valley Community Action Agency, call (503) 588-9016 or (503) 588-6928. Calls are accepted Monday-Friday,

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also stop by the agency's office, 2585 State St. NE in Salem, between those hours.

BY SARAH EVANS

Statesman Journal

Mid-Willamette Valley residents may be relishing the relatively mild weather this winter.

But continually high energy bills and an increase in unemployment have driven up the number of people seeking assistance in paying for heat, despite the warmer weather that's causing rain to fall in the mountains.

"People still have to heat," said Linda Marquam, statewide program coordinator for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. "It's not like you don't turn your heat on when you're home."

And assistance programs are not seeing as much federal grant money as usual.

The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency is one major program providing help for Marion and Polk county residents. Those who meet the income guidelines, meaning they make 60 percent or less of Oregon's median income, apply for appointments with the agency. If they are eligible, the agency then pays money to utility companies to help those residents with their bills.

Usually, the program doles out money for seniors and those with disabilities first, then begins making appointments with the general public by the first of January.

This year, uncertainty about how much money it would get, and when, forced the agency to delay setting up interviews until Jan. 22.

Oregon's Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, which gives out money to local programs such as the Mid-Willamette group, receives funds from the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Last year, the state received $20 million for energy assistance and weatherization programs to help people better insulate their homes.

This year, Oregon received $18.5 million. Luckily, the Bush administration last week released $200 million in emergency funds, $2.2 million of which came to Oregon.

These are the dollars the Mid-Willamette group has been waiting for.

Since opening its appointment book about a week and a half ago, the agency has already set up 1,200 interviews. People who ask for an appointment today may not be seen until at least Feb. 20.

Joan Cote, energy program director with the local agency, said it can only help until the money runs out.

Last year, the agency served about 4,500 households, but by the end of January, it had no more to give.

The struggling economy and high unemployment rate have caused even more people to come forward for help, Marquam said. They already are having to make tough budget choices, and worrying about staying warm becomes another burden.

"You have to decide whether it's food or medicine or heat" that you pay for, she said.

For those who are waiting to get an appointment, help can come from energy companies. Rather than shutting off customers' electricity, Cote said companies are often willing to work with families who are having trouble paying.

"We do try to be as lenient as we can with people," said Vickie Rocker, community affairs specialist with Portland General Electric, which serves about 44,000 customers in Salem. "If you have an appointment, we ask you to call back and tell us, and we'll work with you."

PGE and Salem Electric, which serves West Salem and parts of Keizer and downtown, also collect donations on customers' bills. The money goes to different energy assistance programs.

"A lot more people have qualified (for assistance)," said Terry Kelly, member services manager for Salem Electric. "And it's because of the bad economy."

Sarah Evans can be reached at (503) 399-6856 or sevans@StatesmanJournal.com

Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company The Boston Globe January 30, 2003

HEADLINE: GLOBE NORTHWEST 2; AS READINGS PLUMMET, HEATING AID STABLE
BYLINE: By Joyce Pellino Crane, Globe Correspondent

BODY: Raymond Taylor's old, oil-fired heater is still standing in the hallway of the 49-year-old ranch house he built on Anthony Road in Groton. But it has been disconnected ever since a federally funded program paid to install a central heating system a few weeks ago, with piping that now courses through the house's crawl space and vents through floor registers in every room.

Taylor got his new heating with the help of Community Teamwork of Lowell Inc., a nonprofit organization that disburses federal funds to local residents in need.

In a winter in which temperatures have rarely budged above freezing, Community Teamwork is finding its resources put to numerous and varied uses. But assistance agencies in communities northwest of Boston are finding that demand for their services hasn't surged so far, and Mike McDonough, Community Teamwork's associate director, speculates that many people aren't aware of the help available to them.

In addition to fuel assistance, Community Teamwork offers such things as assessments of how weather tight a house is, utility discounts, and replacement of energy-efficient appliances for people who meet income guidelines. McDonough said he wonders whether the "working poor" don't realize they are eligible for help or are too proud to ask.

Community Teamwork received about 9,000 applications for assistance with fuel purchases last winter, said McDonough, and has received about 7,000 applications this winter with three months left to go in the heating season. The agency - which serves communities such as Lowell, Dracut, Pepperell, Dunstable, Lexington, Belmont, Burlington, and Beford - received almost $3 million in federal funds this fiscal year and the same amount last fiscal year, down from $ 7 million two years ago.

"We served 7,500 households last year," he said. "It doesn't take long for that money to go. We spent every nickel last year."

Activity appears to have picked up in Lawrence, where Judy Brady, fuel assistance director of the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Inc., said she had received 6,110 applications as of Jan. 22, compared with 7,574 for all of fiscal 2002. Andover, North Andover, Reading, and North Reading are among the communities the agency serves.

The number of applications submitted to Tri-City Community Action Programs in Malden has fallen this fiscal year, according to its energy director, Marilyn Murphy. The group serves communities including Woburn, Medford, Stoneham, and Winchester.

Murphy said earlier press reports about reduced benefits for the current fiscal year may have put off potential applicants, but she anticipates a surge in the coming months with last week's injection of emergency federal funds and efforts to boost the federal allocation further.

For the fiscal year that started last Oct. 1, the federal government allotted $1.38 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program nationwide, known as LIHEAP, down from $1.7 billion the year before. The state Department of Housing and Community Development, which disburses federal funds, received about $70 million of this year's allotment, according to housing and community development spokeswoman Beth Bresnahan.

But on Friday, President Bush released another $200 million in emergency energy assistance funds for this winter, with Massachusetts receiving slightly more than $12 million.

Another $100 million has been set aside for future energy emergencies.

US Representative Martin Meehan, the Lowell Democrat who cochairs the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, is credited with spearheading a campaign for increased energy assistance funds. Last week, the US Senate voted to boost total funding this year to $2 billion. The measure still requires approval by the House.

"I don't think the president would veto the funding if we could get $1.8 [billion] to $2 billion for LIHEAP," Meehan said. "It's been a very cold winter, and we have a very bad economy."

"We administer the funds to 22 regional nonprofits and five regional local government organizations. . . . We can provide up to $545 per client for the one season. There's an exception for people with high energy bills. They can get an extra $120 if they produce 12 months worth of energy bills and can show that they're higher than the average threshold of $700," said Breshnahan, of the housing and community development department.

While $545 may not seem like enough to pay for a season's worth of fuel bills in this high-cost region, the recipients are also eligible for other benefits, said McDonough, of Community Teamwork. Among them is an agreement with Massachusetts Electric to measure energy usage in a home.

"If there is a refrigerator using a lot of energy, Mass Electric will pay for a new refrigerator," he said. "If you're on fuel assistance and you're a homeowner, we'll take care of the heating system - repairs, replacement, removal of asbestos by a licensed contractor."

"We struggle trying to make people aware that all these other benefits are available with fuel assistance," McDonough added.

The needs vary greatly among the communities served by Community Teamwork.

Nine households in Carlisle received fuel assistance, which reported about 1,600 households in the 2000 Census, while eight received the aid in Dunstable, which has about 1,000 households. Billerica, with about 13,000 households, had 338 households that benefited from fuel assistance last winter, while 3,828 took advantage of it in Lowell, which had about 38,000 households.

For people like Taylor of Groton, the assistance can take many forms. For the past three years, Taylor and his wife, Shirley, 67, have been receiving fuel assistance through Community Teamwork because they met income requirements.

His oil-fired heater, which operates like a space heater, served its purpose for many years. But the outdoor kerosene oil tank that fueled it was breaking down constantly, and Taylor, who is 73, could no longer climb the 8 feet up the side of the house to reset it.

"At my age, that isn't easy," he said.

Even with a new tank, the irregular heating pattern in the house left the living room area toasty and the outer rooms chilly. So about two years ago, after Taylor mentioned the situation to representatives of a fuel-assistance program, the wheels were put into motion to fund the installation of the new system.

The change is dramatic. The temperature inside the house now stays at about 70 degrees, he said.

Overall, Community Teamwork helped the Taylors secure $7,250 from a combination of sources. The US Department of Energy provided $2,750 - its standard amount for replacing a heating system. The state's Home Energy and Retrofit Task Weatherization Assistance Program supplied $2,250, and the US Department of Agriculture provided another $2,250.

With the money, the Taylors not only installed an oil-burning, forced-hot-air heating system, but also replaced 11 windows to reduce drafts, and added insulation.

GRAPHIC: PHOTO, Shirley and Raymond Taylor of Groton, sitting by a new window that was installed using part of $7,250 in government aid to make their house more heat efficient. / GLOBE PHOTO / SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD

Copyright 2003 The Washington Post January 26, 2003

H EADLINE: Senators Tried to Balance Deluge of Needs, Ceiling on Spending; $390 Billion Bill That Passed Is Stuffed With Hundreds of Projects, Requests
BYLINE: Dan Morgan, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY: President Bush is no believer in government's ability to solve all problems, and he has made clear he intends to keep a tight rein on domestic spending. But last week, it seemed as if every problem in America was being dumped into the lap of the Republican-controlled Senate in hopes that the government would find a solution.

Attracted by a $ 390 billion spending bill that the Senate finally passed late Thursday, the supplicants came from every region and economic class, and from nearly every sector of the workforce. They included Louisiana oystermen, retired miners, doctors, unemployed workers, rural health care providers, Pacific Northwest timber companies, drought-ravaged farmers in the Great Plains and many more. In an example of the government's long reach, Pacific Coast fishermen going out of business because of overfishing got a guarantee in the bill that the government will help buy them out.

The sheer magnitude of the needs expressed left some senators feeling almost overwhelmed. "You're dealing with this need, that need. Pretty soon you're out of money and haven't met all the needs," Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said. He spent much of the week lobbying futilely for unemployment benefits for an additional 1 million jobless workers.

For both parties, the outpouring poses opportunities and risks. Democrats expose themselves to charges of profligate spending at a time of soaring deficits. Republicans attacked them last week for requesting billions more dollars for farmers, health care providers and the poor. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) displayed a "spendometer" that kept track of the cumulative cost of Democratic amendments and unleashed a blistering attack after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) proposed a multibillion-dollar amendment to boost Medicare payments to providers and raise the federal share of Medicaid in some states.

"We are about growing the economy. . . . They are about growing the government," Santorum said.

But the enormous public appetite for federal help that was on display last week also poses problems for the GOP. Republicans in Congress have endorsed a White House fiscal strategy that combines tax cuts with a tight rein on domestic spending. The White House set a strict spending ceiling for the bill, which funds every government department except the Pentagon this year. Republicans vowed that the final product, to be worked out in negotiations with the House over the next few weeks, will stay close to the president's top line.

But Democrats charged repeatedly last week that the GOP policy was aimed at starving the government so wealthy Americans could have a tax cut. "That tax cut is strangling money for education, research and disaster relief," fumed Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.).

Under pressure from powerful constituencies, the GOP shoehorned in extra money for education, drought relief for farmers, doctors and hospitals facing cuts in Medicare reimbursements, and states required to improve their voting systems. Included in the bill, which passed 69 to 29, is $ 8 billion more in highway construction money than Bush requested. Republican budget experts were considering various "scoring" gimmicks that would enable them to keep the extra spending while claiming to have met the president's target.

Along with big-ticket spending, the final bill was stuffed with hundreds of projects, from agricultural research to water treatment, requested by GOP members. On Thursday, two conservative Mississippi Republicans, Sens. Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, pleaded for funds to start the Yazoo Pump project, a controversial Army Corps of Engineers flood control initiative, in their home state.

Lott, who was pushed out of his job as majority leader in December after remarks praising the 1948 segregationist presidential candidacy of Strom Thurmond, noted that "the African American population is the majority" in most of the counties that would benefit. "The federal government has made a promise to these good people," Lott said.

Most Republicans rallied behind Lott when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tried unsuccessfully to strike the project, which he called "wasteful and environmentally harmful."

Privately, some Republicans express uneasiness with the White House strategy. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said last week that doctors in his state are no longer accepting new Medicare patients because of cuts in federal Medicare reimbursements. A Republican, Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), pushed through an amendment extending a temporary increase in Medicare payments to deliverers of home health services.

The administration's 2004 budget, which will be released in several weeks, will propose a 4 percent increase in discretionary spending, according to White House budget director Mitch Daniels. But most of the increases will go to the Pentagon and homeland defense, leaving little more for domestic programs..

That gloomy outlook for domestic programs may have increased the incentive by senators from both parties to battle for favorite projects in the 2003 bill that was on the Senate floor.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who highlighted her ability to win federal appropriations for her state during her recent close reelection campaign, proved her point, coming away with a number of provisions. One amendment provides historically black colleges $ 10 million for the next five years to modernize buildings. Another increases federal assistance to home weatherization programs.

Landrieu also worked with Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) to obtain $ 3 million in relief for Gulf Coast oystermen who have suffered economically since oyster beds were damaged by a series of hurricanes.

Along with bids for money, senators also came forward with requests for the federal government to play an even more active role in protecting the environment, refereeing economic disputes and in other matters..

Byrd secured a guarantee of health benefits for 50,000 retired miners who said they were due money from a private fund set up by mining companies.

A Republican, Sen. George V. Voinovich (Ohio), got the Senate to approve an extension of a ban on oil- and gas-drilling in the Great Lakes through 2005.

Meanwhile, two of the Senate's most conservative Republicans, Sens. John E. Sununu and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, supported an amendment aimed at having the federal government play a more active role in protecting New England from Midwest air pollution. Both voted for an amendment that would have slowed down what they see as backtracking by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company The Boston Globe January 23, 2003

HEADLINE: OUT IN THE COLD (editorial)

BODY: NORTHEAST NIGHTS with readings in the single digits are hardly the time for the Bush administration to urge Congress to hold back heating assistance for low-income households. On Tuesday night the Senate sent this message clearly when it voted 88-4 to increase funding for energy assistance above the appropriation favored by President Bush.

Copyright 2003 Madison Newspapers, Inc. Capital Times (Madison, WI) January 23, 2003

HEADLINE: POLITICIANS ARE JEOPARDIZING ENERGY CONSERVATION EFFORTS
BYLINE: Sarah Streed

BODY: In a perfect world, funds that have been collected from Wisconsin residents for energy efficiency, low-income and renewable energy programs would go to just that: state energy efficiency and conservation programs. However, this is not a perfect world -- and apparently, in Wisconsin, we're not even close.

It started a few years ago when a complex deal negotiated between public interest groups and Wisconsin electric utility companies allowed for the transfer of monies from fees added onto our utility bills (designated for energy conservation) into the pot of Wisconsin's "public benefits" program.

Like all money that comes into contact with state government, the funds have become a political issue. With politicians desperately seeking revenue to solve the state's budget problem, the last budget reform bill temporarily included raids of various amounts in the public benefits fund.

For example, an early proposal would have diverted $22.5 million from the fund over the following year and a half. Republican leaders in the Assembly then tried to increase the proposed cuts to $38 million and voted to abolish the entire energy conservation program after the end of the biennium. (Expect them to try again this year.)

If the energy conservation money is used to fill Wisconsin's budget deficit, the impacts on the state would be enormous, with such ramifications as:

Wisconsin's ability to have any energy efficiency or renewable energy programs would be seriously impaired. (For a state that prides itself on thinking progressively in the tradition of "Fighting Bob" La Follette or Gaylord Nelson, this is truly appalling.)

The fees that have been collected from Wisconsin electric ratepayers would become a tax -- quite a different animal. Wisconsin would be severely ill equipped to handle a future of rapidly escalating energy prices -- and this would result in yet more budget problems!

Without energy efficiency or conservation, our state would add more carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide as well as soot into our air, and more mercury, toxic metals and metal compounds into our already burdened rivers and lakes.

Once again, it seems our state government is looking to short-term gain instead of long-term solutions. And Wisconsinites know it.

Bob Jones, housing and energy director for the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP) and possibly the most well-versed person on this issue, said: "A vast majority of citizens in this state have consistently supported energy conservation programs and weatherization for working poor families. As ratepayers, they have been funding the public benefits program in good faith, and it is nothing less than an abuse of that faith for Assembly Republicans ... to propose raiding this fund. Such action is not worthy of our public leaders."

The steering committee for the Wisconsin Interfaith Climate Change Campaign is building a new collaborative whereby congregations of all faiths statewide can access these funds like everyone else for grants, loans and rebates for doing energy conservation work. And if the state takes the money to solve its deficit problem? No collaborative.

In addition to its focus on moving the state toward renewable energy sources, the faith-based group opposes the misappropriation of funds on ethical grounds, or, to put it more bluntly: because it's theft.

The question is whether the Assembly Republicans will steal these funds for the general fund deficit or whether some of the money will be left to actually save energy.

"It's uncertain as to whether churches can access those funds," says the Rev. Dave Steffenson, state coordinator of the Wisconsin Interfaith Climate Change Campaign, "but it's certain they can't -- nor can anyone else -- if the Legislature or governor steals them for the general fund deficit."

Surveys have repeatedly shown that most Wisconsin residents strongly support energy conservation and efficiency programs. It's common sense that if we take funds specifically earmarked for the purpose of energy efficiency and conservation and use it for other needs, Wisconsin residents won't get what they want.

* Gov. Jim Doyle reportedly supports maintaining the public benefits fund. Let's see if he puts the public benefits money where his mouth is.

EDITOR-NOTE: Sarah Streed is a writer and author who lives in Stoughton. She is a member of the Wisconsin chapter of the Interfaith Climate Change Campaign.

Copyright 2003 The Tallahassee Democrat January 17, 2003 Friday

HEADLINE: Chilly blast headed our way; Coldest temperatures of the winter predicted
BYLINE: By Gerald Ensley; DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER

BODY: OOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain - and then passes along a chilly blast of air to Tallahassee.

That's how it works this weekend, as a storm front moving through the southern Plains states should produce Tallahassee's coldest temperatures of the year. The mercury is expected to dip into the upper teens Saturday and Sunday. The lowest temperature of the winter in Tallahassee has been 23 degrees on the morning of Jan. 8.

The storm kicks off what national forecasters are calling the "coldest two weeks of the year" so far. It is expected to bring snow as far south as northern Alabama and Georgia.

Tallahassee, where a light rain was expected to begin Thursday night and end this morning, won't get any snow. But we'll get a couple of hard-freeze mornings that raise the usual concerns about unprotected people, animals, plants and pipes - not to mention utility bills.

"It looks like the coldest air we've seen this season," said Marty Trexler, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. "A good strong upper-level trough has settled over the Southeast."

The good news is the weekend will be sunny, and temperatures will rise quickly. The high temperatures Saturday will be in the upper 40s and Sunday in the 50s.

Yet the Arctic blast will underline a winter that already has been fairly chilly in Tallahassee, which has caused distress for some local residents.

The Capital Area Community Action Agency provides financial help for utility bills to poverty-level residents. Executive Director Dorothy Inman-Johnson said the agency, which provides utility bill aid to 4,000 people annually, has received a "huge spike" in requests for aid over the past month because of the cold weather.

Though aid is allotted on the basis of income, the agency (call 222-2043) also administers the city's Project Share program that can provide utility bill aid to those above the poverty line who are suffering a temporary emergency.

"We've had 40 percent to 50 percent more calls than normal over the past month," she said. "And with the hard freeze expected this weekend, I expect that to continue."

The cold weather also has increased calls to the Tallahassee Urban League (222-6111), which administers a "weatherization" program for low-income families who own, rent or live in mobile homes. The program provides aid to fix roofs, seal windows, doors and floors and repair furnaces.

"Low-income families, on a percentage basis, are the biggest consumers of energy; they have higher utility bills because of the air infiltration to their homes," said Urban League housing director Curtis Taylor. "So when we can go in and stop a leaking roof, caulk up the door frames and repair a broken furnace, it saves today, and it saves tomorrow."

Chris Floyd, emergency services director of the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, emphasized the importance of fire safety during cold weather.

"In a cold snap, we'll see a rash of house fires because of the use of old, antiquated fireplaces, heating systems and space heaters," said Floyd, who offers winter safety tips on the Red Cross Web site (www.tallytown.com/redcross

The cold snap also affects the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science, which has a variety of wildlife and farm animals.

During cold weather, Curator Mike Jones and his crew cover the outdoor glass fronts of six snake cages with insulation board. The workers also spread lots of fresh hay for insulation in the nighttime boxes and pens of bigger animals such as the bears, panthers and two visiting African lions.

But the vast majority of the museum's animals are native to this area and handle the cold naturally. Skunks and foxes go into underground dens. The bears rake up piles of leaves and snuggle down in the middle during the daytime. Many of the birds fluff up their feathers, trapping warm air in between.

"It makes them look twice as large, like they're wearing a down coat," Jones said.

The animals also deal with the cold by putting on weight, which provides more body heat.

"All the animals are eating like crazy," Jones said.

It may be a weekend for humans to follow suit.

Contact reporter Gerald Ensley at (850) 599-2310 or gensley@taldem.com

Copyright 2003 The Indianapolis Star January 15, 2003

HEADLINE: Aid agencies strapped as cold arrives; Higher demand, less federal money has drained groups' ability to provide winter relief.
BYLINE: BY JIM GILLASPY JIM.GILLASPY@INDYSTAR.COM

BODY: With temperatures likely falling into single digits today, public assistance agencies expect a lot more visits from folks who need cash to keep warm this winter.

But these foul-weather friends -- usually a reliable source of money for residents struggling to pay utility bills and keep gas and electricity on -- have some bad news.

"We're out," said Martin Zamora, the energy and client services director for Community Action of Greater Indianapolis and the offices it funds in Hamilton, Boone and Hendricks counties.

With the new year, Zamora and his staff have begun notifying satellite Community Action centers and client community service agencies that their pool of federal dollars dried up quickly this year.

A cut in funding, coupled with a growing need, is to blame.

"We started with a smaller budget this year than last year, and we did 3,000 houses more in the same time period -- from November to January," said Zamora.

"We're still seeing effects from the gas hike a year back and the economy. A lot of people are out of work now."

The need extends far beyond the unemployed.

"We're seeing a difference in our poor relief," said Adams Township Trustee Linda Williams, whose office in Sheridan doubled its public assistance to residents in 2000 and has seen a steady climb since.

"We're getting more working families, people who have lost their jobs and are now in a lower paying job still with the same bills," she said. "They're working, they're just not making ends meet because things are so expensive."

Adams is among numerous township trustees who are beginning to get more poor relief claims to cover utility bills that the nonprofit Community Action centers can no longer fund.

Zamora said applicants are being directed to their township trustees, pending hoped-for emergency aid he is seeking from federal coffers.

"If we can't get funding, then we can't help the people," he said.

Energy assistance statistics show that after Marion County, the greatest need among the areas served by Zamora's agency is, in order, in Hamilton, Boone and Hendricks counties.

In Lebanon, Project Help Director Theresa Hanners said donations of food, clothing and household items to a record 1,603 individuals through the Caring Center are indicative of expanding needs in Boone County.

"We're experiencing about a 30 percent increase from 2001 to 2002," she said. "We've been very busy here."

Weatherization contractor Jeff Kerns is busy, too, tackling home-sealing and insulation jobs in Indianapolis and Arcadia on Tuesday.

As the owner of Kerns Insulation Inc., he is among contractors working with 24 Community Action agencies statewide to help qualified homeowners with furnace repairs, weather stripping, insulation and cost-cutting tips.

"My company averages at least 12 to 14 houses a month," said Kerns, whose staff gets certified weatherization training each year, and whose Community Action clients are monitored by the agency for 12 months to ensure the work leads to lower utility bills. "It's been picking up."

Although the pickup in work corresponds with a decline in funding, Community Action agencies will soon benefit from other sources of money.

The Indiana Community Action Association, the Indianapolis-based organization that provides weatherization and Community Action staff training for the 24 service agencies statewide, soon will begin forwarding donated money from utilities, citizens and businesses.

In the 19 counties served by natural gas supplier Vectren, for example, 2,673 families benefited last year from corporate and individual largesse through Vectren's "Share the Warmth" program. The program combines Vectren seed money -- $200,000 last year -- with customer contributions that Vectren matches dollar for dollar.

"Vectren supplies the money to the association here, and we distribute it to the Community Action agencies that have customers in the Vectren area," said INCAA Director Vickie Allen-Beeson. "This year, the program will kick off Feb. 3. We need all the help we can get right now."

Cinergy offers similar aid through its "Helping Hand" program, and fast-food proceeds from Hardee's biscuit sales will add to the pool.

As the harsh weather of winter begins to dissipate, the continuing flow of energy aid will become all the more important: The state-mandated moratorium on utility shutoffs for non-payment of a bill ends Mar. 15.

Allen-Beeson said the $300 maximum a family might get through "Share the Warmth" often won't cover their need.

"So, when March 15 rolls around, the moratorium ends and they're no longer protected from disconnection," she said.

The cycle of need starts then and surges in the fall when utility customers who go without during the spring and summer seek aid to get reconnected for the winter.

As Township Trustee Williams puts it, "We haven't even hit our worst months yet."

Call Star reporter Jim Gillaspy at 1-317-444-2608.

_____________________________________________

Where to go for help

In the four-county jurisdiction of Community Action of Greater Indianapolis, applicants for energy assistance in Marion, Hamilton, Boone and Hendricks counties are being referred to their township trustees for help.

Other recommended sources of aid include churches, the Salvation Army 1-317-632-0156, and Catholic Social Services, 1-317-236-1512.

To qualify for assistance, a family of four would need to have a maximum monthly income of $1,508 or an annual income of $18,100.

To contact via the Internet one of 24 Community Action agencies serving Indiana's 92 counties, log on to www.in cap.org and click on your county of residence.

Copyright 2003 Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Copyright 2003 The Beaumont Enterprise January 10, 2003, Friday

HEADLINE: Beaumont, Texas, Energy Assistance Program Keeps Busy
BYLINE: By Jamie Reid

BODY: BEAUMONT, Texas--People line up Monday through Friday asking for help at Some Other Place in Beaumont, and about half of them want help with their utility bills, said executive director Paula O'Neal.

At Project Care, Entergy's assistance program for people older than 60, a volunteer had appointments with people wanting help with electric bills every 20 minutes from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

January is a busy month for people needing a little help with heat, assistance program officials said.

The programs also heat up during the beginning of the year because people, after reaching the assistance limit in 2002, are again eligible for help. Many programs limit the amount one household can receive annually.

At Some Other Place, O'Neal was pleased she's not seeing record numbers of people. She credited the relatively mild summer and winter for keeping heating and cooling costs manageable.

"Thanks be to God, the sun is shining," she said Tuesday.

Last year, Entergy's Project Care put more than $ 175,000 toward heating homes, the highest amount in the program's 20-year history. Project Care, which is administered through Red Cross in Beaumont, helps qualified customers who are age 60 or older.

Although the handouts keep lights on, some non-profit employees believe paying utility bills covers up a bigger problem flawed houses. Roof leaks, poor insulation and appliances that devour energy can keep needy people in constant need.

But Program For Human Services, a non-profit organization in Orange, spent about $ 1.5 million from April 2001 to March 2002 to fix up about 800 drafty homes in Chambers, Hardin, Jefferson, Liberty, Galveston and Orange counties.

Connie Gray, the group's housing and energy coordinator, said she often sees apartment tenants paying $ 300 a month in utilities. That's too much, she said.

Investigators will inspect homes or apartments to see what improvement would lower utility bills.

"Paying utility bills is a Band-Aid," Gray said. "But weatherization fixes problems."

The group also spends about $ 900,000 a year to help people who meet financial guidelines pay their utility bills.

During the past two years, the number of people asking for help has remained steady, Gray said. But she still doesn't have enough money for everyone who asks.

And the rumors of budget cuts going before the Legislature make her nervous. The group is only asking for $ 500,000 to start with, but hopes money drifts in at mid-year as it did last year.

"I have concerns," she said.

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To see more of The Beaumont Enterprise, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.southeasttexaslive.com

Copyright 2003 The Journal News (Westchester County, NY) January 9, 2003

HEADLINE: HEAP of help available to heat seniors' homes
BYLINE: Bill Bookman, Freelance OK

BODY: This is the busy season for Roslyn Jackson, a social case worker with the Westchester Department of Senior Programs and Services. She processes applications from low-income senior homeowners who have trouble paying their heating bills.

Jackson is part of an effort from the national scene down to local communities to help seniors stay independent in their own homes. Self-sufficiency in housing is a top priority for most of them, surveys have shown, and rising expenses for oil, gas and electricity are often the final blow that sends them into less desirable solutions such as subsidized housing or moving in with a family member.

There are emergencies. Jackson recalls speaking to a woman who had received a turn-off notice from a utility company.

"What's the date on the notice?" Jackson asked. "I can't see it," the woman replied in despair. "I'm already in the dark."

And there was the 80-year-old woman, living alone, who was up on a ladder replacing a broken window in her home. That was all right, she told an apprehensive Jackson, because, she said, "My father taught me how to do this."

The Department of Senior Programs and Services keeps tab on seniors who have received heating help in the past, sending out applications for new funds each year under the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). Last October, 4,300 applications went out. Included in the mailing were other people whose names had been supplied through outreach or from other agencies such as Adult Protective Services.

Applications are also available from community action programs and local offices for the aging.

According to Diane Booker, director of HEAP, 1,200 people have already sent in applications, which she said is about par for the course.

If the applicant fails to qualify for the HEAP assistance, the information is sent to other community agencies that might be able to help.

HEAP assistance is also available to some disabled people and those who receive supplemental security income (SSI).

The HEAP applications ask questions basically about income and the number of people in the household. Help in filling out the application is available by calling Senior Programs and Services at 914-813-6300.

The applications are certified on the basis of information supplied as well as varying guidelines, and forwarded to the Westchester Department of Social Services, which makes a payment directly to the utility company supplying the senior. The one-time grants for the season top at about $400.

Money for the HEAP program comes from the federal Older Americans Act and the state Office for the Aging, with some additional help from the county.

Seniors who are already receiving public assistance, such as subsidized housing and food stamps, aren't eligible for HEAP benefits. Some provisions can be made for renters who pay for their own heating.

During the non-heating season, Jackson hops into a departmental van and visits areas where many seniors are in need. Part of her focus is the weatherization home-repair program associated with HEAP. She'll visit clients' homes to find ill-fitting doors and windows, lack of insulation and broken furnaces. All of these repairs can be arranged through the program.

Send comments to Bill Bookman in care of Life&Style, The Journal News, 1 Gannett Drive, White Plains, NY 10604.

Copyright 2003 Courier News (Bridgewater, NJ) January 7, 2003 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Services you can use
BYLINE: Staff

BODY: Local agencies receive money for weatherization

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Susan Bass Levin recently announced the award of more than $5.1 million to assist elderly, handicapped and low-income people make their homes more energy-efficient through DCA's Low Income Home Energy Assistance - Weatherization Program.

"By helping people cut their heating bills, we're putting more money in their pockets for life's other necessities," Commissioner Levin said.

Low-income families typically spend 14 percent of their annual income on energy, compared with 3.5 percent for other households, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

DCA's Weatherization Assistance Program provides income-qualified New Jersey residents with an onsite assessment of a home's energy consumption and the installation of materials, such as insulation to increase energy efficiency.

On average, the program provides $2,568 in weatherization materials and services to recipients. It is estimated that the funds released will be used to "weatherize" approximately 1,800 homes.

Local agencies receiving weatherization funds from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs include Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties with $ 199,236 and Proceed, Inc., Union County with $219,920.

For more information about DCA's energy programs, call the department's Energy Assistance section at (609) 292-6140 or (800) 510-3102.

Content updated on 5/27/2004