By 2012, hundreds of low-income households will have experts analyze their energy use, offer customized cost-effective conservation measures and replace inefficient lights, faucets and refrigerators, V.I. Energy Office officials said Thursday at a press conference rolling out the program.
The audits and appliances are completely free to eligible applicants, through the Energy Office’s branch of the federally-funded Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) said Aminah Saleem, grants manager for the program.
Since 1976, WAP is the longest running assistance program within the U.S. Department of Energy, Saleem said. The goal of the program is to improve energy efficiency for low-income families, especially the elderly, those with disabilities and families with young children.
“We in the Virgin Islands have never been a part of the weatherization program, nor have the other territories, because it has been focused on heating assistance and insulation,” Saleem said. But the federal stimulus package passed by Congress in 2009 boosted WAP funding dramatically and for the first time made the territories eligible. The V.I. Energy Office applied for it and was awarded $1.4 million to spend before March 2012, Saleem said.
In September, the DOE gave the Energy Office another $411,000, bringing the total to $1.8 million for energy audits and appliances. On top of that, DOE is keeping the program in the USVI and has kicked in another $365,000 to run the program for the next two years, she said.
WAP began in the V.I. in July, when funding first came in, said Saleem, but as the program now begins to ramp up its operations, the Energy Office will begin processing new applications the beginning of December. Homes served thus far have been in senior citizen apartments Flambouyant Gardens on St. Croix and Ebenezer Gardens on St. Thomas.
The Department of Human Services has helped identify many eligible clients too, through its ECAP energy assistance program, she said. On average, about $1,000 is spent per household. for power strips, water-heater timers; compact fluorescent bulbs, low-flow shower heads, sink aerators, and if the refrigerator is old or inefficient; a new Energy Star compliant one.
So far, the office has done energy usage audits on 156 homes and completely retrofitted 24 with new bulbs and appliances. By March 2012, WAP expects to have served roughly 800 households, she said. After that, the program will continue, but will likely be smaller without extra money from the one-time stimulus package infusion of cash.
WAP will directly help lower-income families while also helping the territory meet its long-term goal of reducing fossil fuel consumption 60 percent by 2025, said Saleem. Weatherization aids the process by making homes as energy efficient as possible, using less fuel for lighting, heating and producing water, and refrigerating food.
Lower income clients are generally unable to make the initial expensive purchases to save money over time, so investing money at that level both helps that population save money it urgently needs, but also ensures the money goes toward energy efficiency gains that would not happen otherwise, she sad.
Eligible are those who are over 60; have a person with a disability in the household; have children younger than five; and those who fall below the poverty line in income. The poverty threshold is $10,830 for one person and $22,050 for a family of four, according to information provided by the Energy Office.
But income is the main factor, and all applicants should fall below 200 percent of the poverty level.
For more information about the program, call or email Lamar Milligan at the Energy Office at 713-8436, or lmilligan@vienergy.org.
The Methodist Training and Outreach Center will act as the intake agency for the program. Intake will be at the Methodist churches in Christiansted and Frederiksted and on St. Thomas at the Methodist center at 11-A Kronprindsen Gade. Call 714-7782 for more information.
