LHDC Wraps Up ‘Stimulus’ Weatherization Effort
Lincoln Hills Development Corporation (LHDC) recently completed weatherization measures on 399 homes over a two-and-a-half-year period throughout Crawford, Perry and Spencer Counties, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment (Stimulus) Act (ARRA) of 2009.
“Prior to the stimulus funding being made available, we were weatherizing 40 – 60 homes annually”, said LHDC Executive Director, Larry K. Kleeman. “The stimulus funds made it possible to weatherize the number of homes in 2½ years what normally would have taken 7–8 years to complete. While the ARRA effort to spur the economy and create jobs may have its detractors, this is one area where the positive effects are evident in the results.”
According to a recent report titled, “Indiana Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program Billing Analysis Report” , prepared for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) by the Indiana Community Action Association (INCAA), Lincoln Hills Development Corporation (LHDC) is one of the top-performing Weatherization providers in the State of Indiana in terms of energy savings achieved on homes weatherized through the program.
LHDC’s program ranked in the top three agencies in the state in energy savings, with 32% savings realized as a result of weatherization activities undertaken. Such weatherization activities typically undertaken include insulating uninsulated walls, furnace and water heater replacement with highly energy efficient equipment, foundation insulation, attic insulation, and other air infiltration reduction measures. And LHDC’s Weatherization Director, Jay Lincoln, was individually cited in the report as the top Energy Auditor in the State in achieving natural gas savings, achieving savings of 31.8% in homes that he audited and for which he developed the weatherization specifications and measures to be undertaken. Kleeman stated, “We are especially proud of our Weatherization department and staff for their efforts in achieving these results.”
Kleeman continued, “The reduction in energy consumption alone, thereby reducing our nation’s dependency on foreign energy sources, is enough to justify the investment in this program. But when you consider that over $2.5 million was pumped into the local economy, and that 13 local contractors from the private sector and their employees performed the work on these homes at a time when other work was very slow, the effects of the program are even greater. Including the 4 additional Energy Auditors that we hired, and the jobs created or retained because these funds were available, I believe as many as 35 jobs were created or retained as a result of the program.”
LHDC received U.S Department of Energy (DOE) funding through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) to perform the weatherization work. Each home received an energy audit by trained LHDC staff, and work was then done on the homes to maximize the savings. Kleeman added, “We’re grateful for the funds provided to complete the weatherization work on these homes. Hundreds more families can go to sleep at night now in the comfort of a warm and safe home. That’s a basic need that no family should have to worry about in our country.”
Nationally, the budget for the DOE Weatherization Program has been cut by over 50% for the contract that starts April 1 st . The state and LHDC have not yet received their new allocation numbers but it is anticipated there will be a drastic reduction of funds.
Kleeman continued, “It’s a shame that not only has the stimulus weatherization program ended, but now, as a result of drastic federal budget cuts to the weatherization program, we’ll weatherize only a tiny fraction of what we have in past years, even before the stimulus weatherization effort. I believe the weatherization program should be viewed as an investment in our nation’s efforts to reduce energy consumption, but instead, like many other cost-effective anti-poverty programs, it is viewed as an expense that can be sacrificed. ”
LHDC is the Weatherization provider in Crawford, Perry and Spencer Counties. For additional information about LHDC’s Weatherization program, contact LHDC Community Services Programs Director, Tammy Thompson, at 812-547-3435, extension 231.
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