City of Duluth to help old homes become energy-efficient
Duluth Mayor Don Ness announced the launch Wednesday of a new program designed to help make homes in the city more energy-efficient. And he’s already forecasting such success that the citywide initiative, which has been 2½ years in the making, will be used as a model for others.By: Peter Passi, Duluth News Tribune
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Duluth Mayor Don Ness announced the launch Wednesday of a new program designed to help make homes in the city more energy-efficient. And he’s already forecasting such success that the citywide initiative, which has been 2½ years in the making, will be used as a model for others.
“It can and will be duplicated all across the nation,” Ness predicted, suggesting that the very sustainability of cold-weather cities will be contingent upon their success in improving energy efficiency.
The Duluth Energy Efficiency Program — called DEEP for short — will provide rebates to about
450 homeowners who make recommended improvements in order to conserve fuel and electricity. The program will be open to families of all income levels and can provide up to $3,150 of assistance per household.
The money will be targeted to homes where the greatest savings can be achieved. All improvements eligible for rebates must generate enough savings to pay back the cost within 10 years.
More than half of Duluth’s housing stock is more than 80 years old, said Jodi Slick, executive director of Common Ground Construction, which has helped to develop DEEP. She said that even with homes that are just 35 years old, inspectors often find significant improvements that can be made to improve efficiency.
Especially as fuel prices rise, the burden of living in a drafty, inefficient home can become a serious “heat or eat” issue, Slick said. She said DEEP will work to direct homeowners to other forms of assistance through other programs, as well.
Program Manager Dean Talbott said DEEP aims to work with homeowners and a pool of certified local contractors to make sure all work is done right.
Scholarships are available to help local contractors obtain necessary certifications to participate in the program.
“We’ll be keeping dollars local and putting local people to work,” Ness said.
On an ongoing basis, he said improved efficiency should keep more money at home, instead of flowing to energy suppliers often reliant on imported fuels.
The first step for determining eligibility is to seek a “home energy score.” Talbott said this can be quickly calculated by staff supplied with a year’s worth of energy bills and a home’s square footage.
Slick said a home generally would need a score of seven or lower on this 10-point home energy score to qualify for consideration.
Further testing of a home then would be required to determine where improvements are needed. This detailed audit could cost anywhere from $300 to $600, but Talbott said qualifying homeowners probably would be asked to pay between $50 and $150.
This cost, too, would be eligible for full refund if homeowners follow through and make recommended improvements.
The initiative will receive about $1.5 million in federal stimulus money funneled through the U.S. Department of Energy and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Additional support comes from the Center for Energy and the Environment and Duluth’s Community Development Block Grant Program.
Talbott said the city expects to roll out a similar program for multi-unit housing this spring.
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