Federal Stimulus Sealing Cracks and Caulking Windows

By Skip Descant

Posted: September 6, 2009 at midnight

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SPRINGDALE — Hundreds of homes across Northwest Arkansas are getting new compact fluorescent bulbs, added insulation, weather stripping and even new doors, windows and refrigerators.

These energy efficient retrofits are not the result of costly individual home improvement weekends. The projects are part of a $5 billion federal government weatherization program designed to ease energy costs for those who feel it most — low-income families.

Northwest Arkansas is on course to receive $3.2 million to be used in the next three years, said Al West, director of the nonprofit group Office of Human Concern. The agency is administering the weatherization program, known as the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP.

Funding is provided through federal stimulus grants, otherwise known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"Our main idea is to save folks $100 or $150 a month on their energy bills," said Craig Caywood, who helps administer the program with the Office of Human Concern.

"I'm real optimistic that we could save 20 to 30 bucks a month," said Sam Porter, one recent morning as an energy audit crew conducted a "blower door test" on his three bedroom, 1,000-square-foot home on Keenan Avenue just east of Springdale. His energy bills are $100 to $130 a month.

The test uses a high-speed fan to suck air out of the house, exposing drafts. A closet door was blown open during the test, exposing an open crawl space leading to the attic. That's the sort of draft that could get sealed up, say energy auditors.

Porter, 54, is a self-employed carpenter. The downturn in the building industry has left him without work. Porter's specialty is interior trim work, but these days, he'll build a porch or do almost anything to pay his $850 monthly mortgage.

"Anybody in the construction industry right now, they don't know where their next check's coming from," said Porter from a back porch that overlooks a community garden of tomatoes, okra and squash in his side yard.

Being mostly unemployed, Porter easily qualifies for the government-funded weatherization program. The process first begins with an energy audit, which amounts to a series of tests to determine what sort of weatherization work is needed. A contractor will come out to make the improvements.

The program is set to spend an average of $6,000 per home on 400 houses a year for the next three years. The program hopes to tackle several problems at once — namely providing jobs, but also lowering energy bills.

"We've hired five or six people since we started the program," said Bob Johnson, who is part of the energy audit team and is himself an out-of-work land surveyor.

Prairie Grove contractor Alderson and Stroud is used to do the work, which often means ordering new double-pane windows, replacing doors and blowing insulation. When appliances need to be replaced, Energy Star stoves, refrigerators and hot water heaters are bought at Lowes, Johnson said.

Homes in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties are eligible. The program is also available to renters. And strictly speaking, landlords are not supposed to raise rents because of the improvements, West said.

Interest in the program has been strong, officials say. The energy audit team generally evaluates about two homes a day. From that point, the house is put on a waiting list and repairs can take six to eight months to complete, depending on how much work is needed, said Dale Fields, who was also part of the audit team inspecting Porter's home. However, since the money and workers are now in place, most jobs are moving through the pipeline at a faster pace, West said.

"We've got the money and we've got the staff," West said. "We didn't have either three months ago."

"We have our first house that's about to close," Fields said. It's waiting on three windows from Fayetteville Glass Co.

Other homes, like Porter's, require little work and can be completed quicker.

"From today, it depends on how much work you need," Fields explained to Porter as the two sat around his small dining room table, taking about the finer points of the program. "It could be three to six months, or it could just take a month."

Income Qualifications For Weatherization Program (monthly gross)

Family of one — earn up to $1,805

Family of two — earn up to $2,428

Family of three — earn up to $3,051

Family of four — earn up to $3,675

Source: Office of Human Concern

Stimulus Spending

The numbers below show federal stimulus money distributed by the state to Benton and Washington counties. However, these figures do not include stimulus money appropriated directly to federal agencies that wound up being spent in those counties, for example, the $3.2 million received by the Office of Human Concern.

Benton County Washington County Total

Highways $20,025,000 $4,320,000 $24,345,000

Public Transit $415,000 $0 $415,000

Education $21,985,611 $28,147,663 $50,133,274

Justice $167,188 $456,807 $623,995

Higher Ed $750,000 $4,565,000 $5,315,000

Energy $609,300 $237,900 $847,200

Total $43,952,099 $37,727,370 $81,679,469

Source: Staff Report

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