HUD and DOE Team Up To Weatherize Homes

[hausdok]

From: HUD USER News

The U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and of Energy (DOE) are coordinating the use of appropriations from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide weatherization assistance in HUD-qualified assisted housing.

The funds include $4.5 billion in HUD capital funds for public and Indian housing and $250 million to retrofit privately owned, federally assisted housing. In addition, DOE has issued a notice of the proposed rules for eliminating duplicative income verification requirements that would make it easier for affordable housing providers to access $5 billion in DOE Weatherization Assistance program funding.

The notice was published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2009 (www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-05-21/html/E9-11890.htm) and is available for comment at www.regulations.gov until June 22, 2009. Comments should reference the regulatory information number (RIN) 1904-AB-97. Comments with this RIN in the subject area may also be submitted to WXHUDOPR@ee.doe.gov.

[Chad Fabry]

Here's how I do the math. $4.5 billion + 250 million = 4.75 billion. After they get it all figured out and implement all the improvements it'll yield a net annual energy savings of $31.63

It'll pay for itself in just over 150 million years.

[Les]

Sure reminds me of the "Hot Water Heater Insulating Plan" where they paid a pack of idiots $175.00 to completely cover natural gas water heater tanks and burners. Promptly voided all warranty and ruined gas control valves - good for the water heater industry! Saved something like -$87.00.

[randynavarro]

I got a job inspecting government housing - 12 of them.

People in those houses could care less about energy improvements and weatherization. They were nice folks sure enough, but when you're living off the gov't teat you just don't take care of your house - cuz the gov't does. And another interesting fact: the occupants of the homes were immigrants. I don't know if they were recent or multi-generational. I do know that very few of them could speak any sort of English.

Not getting political here, just clarifying the windfall from the feds; if you're a weatherization contractor, there's opportunity. If you're an energy auditor or HERS Rater, there's not.