Hot Climate Initiatives

1
Hot Climate Initiatives
National Low-Income Energy Consortium Phoenix,
Arizona June 16, 2005
2
Hot Climate Initiative

• Hot Climate Initiative started back in 1995
• Shortly after getting started, Weatherization
  funding was cut almost in half and the Hot
  Climate Initiative was tabled
• With recent increase in funding
• Weatherization Plus strategies were implemented
• Hot Climate Initiative was revisited

3
Hot Climate Initiative

• State and agency representatives from hot climate
  regions of the country met in Phoenix in May 2001
• Generated and prioritized list of action items
  including
• Training Evaluation
• Audit development Leveraging
• Client education Priority lists
• Review Appendix A Bulk purchasing
• Multi-family Sources of new labor

4
Hot Climate Initiative

• Hot climate states have received less
  Weatherization funding than cold climate states
  over the years
• As a result, hot climate states have had less
  funds for technical training
• While funding has increased recently, there still
  is not sufficient funding in many hot climate
  states to comprehensively train all agencies and
  contractors

5
Hot Climate Training Pilot

• Visited Alabama and Mississippi in late 2001 to
  understand state of the program in Southeastern
  U.S.
• Proposed a training pilot project, which DOE
  approved and funded
• Enlisted NRCERT and JJ Weatherization to develop
  curriculum and provide both classroom and
  hands-on training

6
Training Efforts to Date

• Completed Hot Climate/whole-house weatherization
  training in Mississippi, North Carolina,
  Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia
• First pilot in Mississippi
• Phase I April-August 2002
• Phase II April-June 2003
• North Carolina and Tennessee requested training
  using the Mississippi model and funded with their
  TTA allocation
• North Carolina July-November 2003
• Tennessee January-May 2004
• Pilot replicated in Alabama incorporating lessons
  learned
• January-August 2004
• Georgia
• November 2004 April 2005

7
Training Content

• Hot Climate training emphasizes whole-house
  weatherization, not just cooling-only measures
• Even in hot climates, savings in heating energy
  drive cost-effectiveness of most measures
• Reducing heating load also reduces cooling load

8
Training Structure

• Orientation training for agency coordinators,
  followed by
• Multiple regional trainings for agency
  coordinators, crews, and contractors

9
Orientation Training

• Two days to introduce agency coordinators to
  whole-house weatherization approach
• Share Virginias experience in adopting
  whole-house approach in early 1990s
• Emphasize importance of combustion appliance
  safety
• Introduce pressure diagnostics, advanced air
  sealing, and dense-pack sidewall insulation

10
Regional Training

• Three one-week-long, on-the-job training sessions
  in different parts of the state
• For agency coordinators, crews, and contractors
• First day in classroom
• Second third day in field
• Last half-day test out and wrap up

11
Regional Training

• Classroom training
• Combustion appliance safety
• CO, venting, combustion air, worst-case draft
• Pressure diagnostics advanced air sealing
• Building tightness limits, zone pressures, common
  bypasses, mechanical ventilation
• Truck/trailer rigging (short field trip to the
  parking lot)

12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
Regional Training

• First day in the field
• Assessment and estimation
• Combustion appliance safety testing
• Blower door testing and pressure diagnostics
• Attic bypasses
• Dense-pack sidewall demo before starting actual
  wall blowing
• Two-part foam insulation demo
• Refrigerator metering

21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
Regional Training

• Second day in the field
• Switch into production mode
• Continue blowing sidewalls
• Seal bypasses
• Blow attic
• Install/repair/replace kitchen and bathroom
  exhaust fans, if necessary
• Install dryer vent, if necessary
• Insulate water heater and water heater pipes
• Clean window air conditioners, if applicable

27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
(No Transcript)
35
(No Transcript)
36
(No Transcript)
37
(No Transcript)
38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
(No Transcript)
49
(No Transcript)
50
(No Transcript)
51
(No Transcript)
52
(No Transcript)
53
(No Transcript)
54
(No Transcript)
55
(No Transcript)
56
(No Transcript)
57
(No Transcript)
58
(No Transcript)
59
(No Transcript)
60
(No Transcript)
61
(No Transcript)
62
(No Transcript)
63
(No Transcript)
64
(No Transcript)
65
(No Transcript)
66
(No Transcript)
67
(No Transcript)
68
(No Transcript)
69
(No Transcript)
70
(No Transcript)
71
Regional Training

• Final day
• Finish installing any final measures
• Test out
• Clean up
• Review equipment maintenance
• Wrap up

72
(No Transcript)
73
(No Transcript)
74
(No Transcript)
75
(No Transcript)
76
Lessons Learned

• The right people must attend training
• Crews and contractors should attend, not just
  agency coordinators
• Biggest obstacle to adopting the whole-house
  approach is prevalence of unvented gas/propane
  space heaters

77
Lessons Learned

• While comprehensive, on-site, and hands-on, this
  training is just a start
• Long-term commitment to consistent training is
  crucial
• Monitors have to be on same page
• Must go through same training
• State organizational issues

78
Lessons Learned

• Several agencies need to embrace the whole-house
  approach and lead others
• Peer training is extremely effective
• In-state agencies share experience
• Agencies visit from another state
• Creating or reinvigorating an agency association
  increases communication

79
Implementation Barriers

• Requires strong state program management
• Investment in equipment and ongoing training is
  significant, but necessary
• Some agencies are hesitant to adopt
  whole-house-based priority list and de-emphasize
  windows and doors
• Potential loss of existing contractors

80
TrainingFollow-Up

• Develop technical program standards to reflect
  whole-house approach
• Revise agency contracts to reflect standards
• Monitor, monitor, monitor
• Standardize training and provide on an on-going
  basis
• Comprehensive monitor training
• Give agencies the chance to succeed, but firmly
  enforce technical program standards

81
(No Transcript)