The EarthWays Center is working with EnergyCare and Communities First to deliver energy efficiency info in the form of the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Score. So far, Energy Programs Manager, Richard Reilly has completed 27 of 70 Scores scheduled for this year. EnergyCare, the Principal Investigator of this EPA grant is coordinating the work. Communities First oversees recruiting, scheduling, and follow up with those who qualify for the program.
The Home Energy Score (HES) rates a home’s energy related assets (size, insulation, furnace, ac, water heater, windows, etc.) on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most efficient. It generates a report with recommendations for improving energy efficiency. An occupant will find some improvement opportunities may be in the DIY category while others may require professionals, as well as commitments from landlords or other agencies for low-moderate income home dwellers.
By the time all 70 Scores are complete we will be able to graph trends regarding our housing stock. So far, we have scored homes with a range of ‘constructed in’ dates from 1885 to 2019 with Scores ranging from 1-9 on that 10-point scale. Smaller homes score better than larger, as do homes with more insulation and highly efficient equipment. This information is expected to lead to increased funding opportunities enabling meaningful energy efficiency improvements to be made to homes in need of upgrades and to lesson the energy burden of low-moderate income families.
St. Louis has a wide variety of housing types. The HES program is for single family residences as well as town homes with a side-by-side arrangement.
This is the kind of 3X bottom line project we can really embrace as it moves our region towards a lower carbon footprint, will help save utility dollars, and lesson the financial challenges for low-moderate income families, leaving us all with the cleaner air, water and soil we need to thrive.
