COAD Programs: Community Development Division Services I Energy Services Section

Goals: Provide energy efficiency and weatherization services to customers to assist them in decreasing their household energy use and lower their fuel bills.

The Energy Services Section offers energy efficiency and weatherization services that help customers lower their energy use and fuel bills. These services provide for the direct installation of energy conservation measures into homes of low-income Appalachian Ohio customers and our partnering community members. These services, including the Home Weatherization Assistance Program, Columbia Gas of Ohio WarmChoice program, and Electric Partnership Program, provide a variety of energy efficiency measures at no cost to low-income citizens. These programs help people in need keep their homes affordable, healthy, safe, durable, and comfortable. Weatherization services can help to prevent homelessness by making homes more affordable. Energy conservation and weatherization services also help our environment because energy efficient homes consume less energy therefore contributing fewer pollutants to the atmosphere. Energy efficiency measures that customers may receive include:

• Air leakage and duct system sealing
• Attic insulation
• Sidewall insulation
• Floor or foundation insulation
• Hot water tank insulation
• Resource efficient showerheads
• Energy efficient appliances including refrigerators
• Heating system tune-ups and repairs
• High-efficiency heating system replacement
• Smart thermostats
• Energy efficient compact fluorescent lights

Energy efficiency services have become increasingly sophisticated over the past 20 years including the use of technology such as blower doors, infrared thermography, flue gas analysis, and computer-assisted energy analysis software to direct the installation of the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures. Services are combined (or "leveraged") when possible to deliver the maximum cost-effective service to eligible customers.

COAD staff members perform most of the initial home inspections to determine the work that needs to be done. The work is then contracted out to community action agencies or private contractors. COAD staff members perform final quality assurance inspections. This program implementation strategy is one of the factors that resulted in COAD-member community action agencies having the highest percentage of energy savings in Ohio. According to an August 12, 1998, report to the Ohio Department of Development, Office of Energy Efficiency prepared by noted evaluation expert Michael Blasnik, "every agency with greater than 30% savings was a COAD agency."

The HWAP is funded through the following revenue sources:

• U.S. Department of Energy, Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funds. To learn more about the national weatherization assistance program, click here: www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/weatherization_assistance/.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds. In accordance with Ohio law, fifteen percent of these funds are earmarked for the HWAP. To learn more about HHS services administered by the state of Ohio, including the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), click here: www.odod.state.oh.us/cdd/ocs

Households with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible to receive a wide array of weatherization and baseload energy efficiency measures and consumer energy efficiency education, as well as other measures necessary to insure the health and safety of the customer. The HWAP coordinates service delivery very closely with COAD’s utility-sponsored weatherization and demand-side management programs and with both COAD-sponsored and member community action agency-sponsored home repair programs. Since 1975, the seventeen-member community action agencies have provided weatherization services for more than 71,000 households throughout the thirty-county service area.

WarmChoice Program: Since 1988, Columbia Gas of Ohio has contracted with COAD to administer and operate this American Gas Association award-winning program in the twenty-six COAD area counties served by Columbia.

The program has the same income eligibility guidelines as the HWAP, making it ideal for coordinating joint service delivery. WarmChoice provides weatherization and baseload services, consumer energy education, and, when needed, gas-fired heating system and water heater repairs and replacements. Since its inception, the WarmChoice program has served more than 12,000 eligible families in Appalachian Ohio. To learn more about Columbia Gas of Ohio (part of the NiSource Company) click here: www.columbiagasohio.com.

To determine if you or someone you know is eligible for services, contact your local Community Action Agency, Tom Calhoun (tcalhoun@coadinc.org), or Cheri Spergin (cspergin@coadinc.org).

COAD Programs: Community Development Division Services I Energy Services Section