Progress in 2011

Amazing infographics from our past Intern Lily Oswald!

Por Dia Daycare Improvements on MLK Day

The Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency 4CORE) is teaming up with Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), AmeriCorps, and Empire Electric Association to enhance energy efficiency at the Por Dia Daycare facility in Cortez on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at 2 PM.

The organizations will provide free weatherization services to increase safety and comfort for school children, while decreasing energy bills at the facility. Parents and the public are invited to learn more about how to decrease energy use, save money on utility costs, and make their own homes safer.

4CORE completed an initial assessment of the Por Dia school building and is facilitating work to be completed by SCC as a day of service for the MLK holiday. 4CORE and SCC will provide a tour of weatherization improvements between 2pm and 4pm, including insulation, air sealing, lighting, safety, infrared camera use, and easy ways to upgrade at home.

"This is a great opportunity for our school,” said Amy Long, owner of Por Dia Preschool. “With rising utility costs and several heating sources in our preschool, I think weatherization will really make a difference in keeping our children warm, safe, and comfortable, at an affordable rate for us. I also believe our families and community will benefit greatly from the educational session 4CORE is going to provide on saving energy in their homes."

4CORE administers the Weatherization Assistance Program, which is a 34-year old Department of Energy program that strives to increase the quality, safety and energy efficiency of residential, low-income housing through improving energy performance. SCC, through AmeriCorps funding, is one of the main contractors performing services within the program.

"We are excited to celebrate MLK Day by helping to improve the building performance of this school," said Gregg Dubit, 4CORE Director. "The more we can motivate younger generations and their families to save energy, the more households can benefit from saving money to put toward other family expenses."

“Our crew and staff are excited to use the weatherization skills they’ve learned through this program to benefit a school, “said Kevin Heiner, SCC, Program Director.  “AmeriCorps service days present some great opportunities to get out in the community, and we are looking forward to working at Por Dia.”

Por Dia is located at 1515 South Oak Street in Cortez. All participants will be asked to sign-in and sign a release, as this is a childcare facility. For more information, please contact Sandhya Tillotson at 970-259-1916 x115 or wx@fourcore.org.

About Por Dia: Por Dia Preschool and Learning Center is a private childcare facility licensed by the State of Colorado for 50 children ages 2 ½ years through elementary school (12 years), and for 10 children age 1 to 2 ½. They provide dependable, safe care for children while parents are working or pursuing other interests. Por Dia’s purpose is to provide a service to the community and parents by providing full day care service, preschool and pre-kindergarten programs, including Head Start/Colorado Preschool Program, and a summer day camp for all children.

About 4CORE: The Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency (4CORE) is a non-profit organization that advances resource efficiency by facilitating coalition-building, implementing education and outreach, and providing resource efficiency services. 4CORE’s vision: 4CORE, Southwest Colorado’s resource conservation hub, inspires communities to become resilient. 4CORE benefits from the generosity of its partners: the Governor’s Energy Office, Empire Electric Association, La Plata County, Town of Ignacio, La Plata Electric Association, the City of Durango, the City of Cortez, and many event sponsors. More information can be found at www.fourcore.org.

About Southwest Conservation Corps: The Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), founded as a non-profit agency in 1998, provides young women and men with structured, safe and challenging service and educational opportunities through projects that promote personal growth, the development of social skills, and an ethic of natural resource stewardship.  SCC’s strengths lie not only in its service project accomplishments, but also in its ability to provide a viable work force to the region while offering exceptional educational and engaging opportunities to participants. The SCC weatherization apprentice crew providing weatherization services is funded by a National Operating grant from AmeriCorps. 

About AmeriCorps:  AmeriCorps is Clean Energy is an initiative of the AmeriCorps Environmental Stewardship Affinity Group. The group is comprised of AmeriCorps programs across the country whose service is dedicated to environmental projects. One of the groups’ objectives is to promote National Service as an effective resource to meet environmental needs.

Picture This: Saving Energy in Images

4CORE wishes you and yours a happy and prosperous 2012!

Compare incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lights

Thick walls and south facing windows make this home easy to heat in the winter and cool in the summer

LED track lighting- efficient and beautiful!

A programmable thermostat set at a reasonable temperature

Intern Anne Pesata educates booth visitors at the Pagosa Home and Ranch Show

Solar PV and hot water provide electricity and hot water to a Durango home

A weatherization crew member blowing insulation into an attic. Photo by Stephen Eginoire.

Community Energy Coordinator Heather Wyatt at the 4CORE Open House. Photo by Stephen Eginoire.

The 4CORE Board of Directors, wishing you a safe and resource efficient 2012! Photo by Stephen Eginoire.

Tracking Energy Use on Weatherized Homes

As an intern for 4CORE I’ve been given an important task. It is called the Energy Tracking Project. The Energy Tracking Project is a comprehensive look at energy usage on previously weatherized homes in five counties in southwest Colorado. This study will research homes before and after weatherization to find actual energy savings. Why is this important? 4CORE’s mission is to advance resource efficiency and it’s important to follow through with that message by documenting the actual energy savings from weatherization.

As of now, 4CORE has weatherized over 374 homes. Now that these homes are weatherized, technically they should be energy efficient. But being energy efficient also involves making energy conscious choices. A person can have a completely weatherized home but could keep the lights on all day and night. Ultimately even with weatherization, it’s up to the tenants to be the energy savers.

That is why 4CORE's weatherization team provides education to clients about wise energy use. The data from the Energy Tracking Project will result in information about how these education efforts are going and will also make weatherized homeowners aware of their energy consumption so they can decrease energy use and save money.

Saving money is important for the clients that 4CORE serves. 4CORE’s services are intended for low-income households. With the Energy Tracking Project, 4CORE expects to see that weatherization has saved clients’ money through energy savings.

This type of service reminds me of the meaning of community - individuals looking out for one another.Without this service, I often wonder what would be the result of these families and individuals, and the community as a whole.

I understand the difficulties it can be for families and individuals who are overwhelmed with financial difficulties. I am from the Navajo reservation and there are many low-income households. So when I first heard of 4CORE and the work they do for the community I was truly amazed and impressed.

Working as an intern for 4CORE I hope to bring this knowledge of saving money through wise energy use and weatherization back home. And hopefully I can help make communities stronger and more energy efficient.

About the Author

Crystal Kelly is from Leupp, Arizona, a small town on the Navajo reservation. She has lived in Durango for about three years. The beautiful landscape and generous people attracted her here from Albuquerque, NM. She recently graduated from Fort Lewis College with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. In her spare time Crystal likes to watch movies, read, hike, and go for walks. Crystal also enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, traveling, visiting national parks, and learning new things.

Weatherization Fashion Show

Gregg Dubit, Program Manager of 4CORE's Weatherization Assistance Program, recently presented at the Green Business Roundtable on December 8th, where he educated well over 50 local community members and business owners on "The Art of Weatherization," an informative and very entertaining presentation.

Here are just a few of helpful tips and energy efficiency measures from Gregg's presentation:

• Heating: One very easy and efficient upgrade is to wrap your water heater in a blanket, reducing heat loss.
• Insulation: This one is very import. Find out your County-wide R-value recommendation to ensure the best heat retention in your home. Also, learn about the associated State rebates to save money in your energy efficient upgrade.
• Lighting: Replace all older light fixtures, like incandescent light bulbs, with more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) and reap the benefits of doing so with energy savings of 50-75%.
• Heating: An easy thing to do is to check your furnace filter, it could be dirty and blocking up to 50% of air intake, causing it to possibly short cycle or simply not operate at full potentially and efficiently.

Not only was Gregg's presentation informative, but entertaining. In concluding the overview of weatherization, Gregg arrived at two true or false questions, which were predominately answered as true from the crowd:

* Fuel prices are rising and this trend will continue to rise

* Conservation is becoming more fashionable than consumption

And considering these two points to be true, Gregg concluded: "there should be Weatherization Fashion Shows." Here is the first ever fashion show highlighting current trends in energy efficiency:

  

Beyond fashionable, investing in your home energy savings is just simply smart. Contact 4CORE now for more details, programs, rebates and incentives.

Also check out The Governor's Energy Office (GEO), at RechargeColorado, who has made it easier for Coloradans to redeem more than $10 million in energy efficiency and renewable energy rebates still available across the state. Although there has been great demand for rebates, millions of dollars still remain available for: 

ENERGY STAR Appliances:

• Gas Condensing Furnaces (Up to $500)
• Insulation and Air Sealing (Up to $600)
• Duct Sealing (Up to $150)
• Energy Audits (Up to $100)
• Energy Monitors (Up to $100)
• Renewable Energy technologies

The GEO "urges Coloradans to take advantage of the rebates before funds are exhausted and winter drives up heating bills."

Rebates are available for the following appliances:

• Refrigerators ($50 without recycling, $100 with proof of recycling)
• Clothes Washers ($75)
• High Performance Gas Storage Water Heaters ($200)
• Dishwashers ($50)
• Gas Boilers ($400) 

Rebates will be available until funds run out. To check if rebates are still available, check out the "$$ countdown" at RechargeColorado.com and click on the "Learn More button" under Appliance Rebates.

Sustainable Warming

The leaves are changing color and cooler weather is upon us here in La Plata County.  We all are beginning to cut and stack firewood, top off the propane tank, check our furnaces, fireplaces and equip our homes with the needed measures to ensure the optimal deliverance of warmth in the months to come.

As we prep our homes for the coming of colder weather, there are some helpful practices for ensuring energy efficiencies and equally, cost savings when we go to turn on the heat this winter. One of the biggest ways to save energy and money is to consider weatherizing your home. Weatherization, as Beverly explained in the last post- Weatherization- more than comfort and safety, is a means of making your home more energy efficient. One way is to utilize local resources that already have the steps all mapped out. Visit the Weatherization Assistance Program page at 4CORE and learn more about what it is like to have your home weatherized. Maybe you even qualify for 4CORE Weatherization Services.

How to test household efficiency?If you don't qualify for the Weatherization Program, there are rebates through Recharge Colorado for doing an overall energy assessment to find the best ways to make improvements and upgrades. This could include insulation, heating units like furnaces, household appliances like refrigerators, sealing air leaks, changing old light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), installing storm windows and doors.

There are many organizations offering easy-to-use guides and resources to help your household become more efficient and sustainable. One site that I think really offers a lot of helpful information is the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide.

Here they offer the opportunity of asking professionals questions concerning the building and/or maintenance of an efficient home. They have guidance on types of homes- new or old, rooms (bathrooms to nurseries), appliances, interior and exterior paints and facades, homeowner situations and general energy efficiency insight and guidance. They also provide 9 Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient, similar to the measures mentioned above with some insightful additional strategies.

Also, The US Department of Energy has a great Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessment guide which leads one through an essential step-by-step process. Home Energy Saver is also a resourceful website, sharing different strategies, tips, incentives, and current State and Federal rebates.

Efficiency and Beyond...
Maybe you are thinking about generating some of your own energy? A local Durango woman, Kathleen Adams, began to think the same thing and started working towards efficiency by first getting an energy audit to best understand her baseline demand for energy and inefficiencies. From there she began to upgrade her 1920's bungalow home into an energy-efficient model home, which was recently featured in 4CORE's Energy Tour. The Energy Tour brought many community members together to learn how Kathleen, among many other home owners, devised ways to save energy and money and set-up their own solar photovoltaic systems.

Kathleen installed a 10-panel 2.1 kw solar photovoltaic system on her roof along with two solar tubes for free and easy day lighting. Kathleen now enjoys not paying utility bills from spring to fall and watching her meter run backwards when she produces more energy than she uses and more than anything is reassured knowing that all the energy she produces and sources from the local utility company is not 'going out the door.'

Wondering about how to assess your own potential for solar and/or wind energy generation? A great source to check out for your on-site residential generation is through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s“In My Backyard” (IMBY). Check out this online tool that helps you gauge either your solar photovoltaic (PV) array or wind turbine electricity generating capacity based on your specifications of system size, location, and other variables.

About the Author...
Elsa Jagniecki began working for 4CORE last month and since has enjoyed working on the La Plata Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP).

Elsa has recently returned from Sweden where she studied her Master's in Sustainable Development and researched Sustainable Community Renewable Energy for her thesis with two other classmates, where they toured Sweden, Denmark, and Germany and from their research designed The SCRE Tool.

Weatherization- More than Comfort, Safety, and Saving Money

Sherry Cuthbertson is a recent weatherization client in La Plata County. She is a single woman who has health issues that prevent her from being employed. She read in the local paper and was also told by her social worker about the Weatherization Assistance Program. She made a call to 4CORE and was approved to have her home weatherized. It took about one month from her initial contact (she was out of town) for the work to be initiated. She described the service as being “really fast!” between the first evaluations, repairs commencing the following week, and job completion in two and a half days.

Sherry resides in an older mobile home which is in overall good condition; however, upon the initial audit, it had many areas in need of improvement, which the weatherization crew could provide. The roof had been replaced 2 years ago but the leaks had compromised the indoor ceiling, and there were indoor air quality issues caused by the hot water vent pipe that was not connected properly. “It was a miracle they came”, she stated. Sherry has been on supplemental oxygen for a year and a half due to health concerns, and she did not have a carbon monoxide detector or a functional smoke alarm. There was evidence of carbon monoxide leaking from her furnace, and the weatherization crew rectified the situation.

Sherry’s natural gas forced air furnace was replaced with a more energy efficient one, and both her water heater and furnace were repaired with emphasis on proper venting and safety provisions. The ceiling was structurally re-supported and insulating “burrito” blankets (pictured above) were placed in her crawlspace next to the skirting to insulate the home from convective air loss. “I know my ceiling is not going to fail, and I think the “burritos” will really help with insulation,” Sherry stated. She said the crew explained every step fully, and admitted the roof was a real challenge. “They were so nice!” She was very pleased that the crew completed their job while leaving her home vacuumed, clean, and in the original condition as when they began the work.

Sherry has recommended the service to others. “The crew is working on a friend’s house now. This was nothing but a blessing. It made me feel so humble. It was a pleasant experience, and they were kind. I was so pleased, and I would recommend this to everyone!” She does not know yet what a difference these services will make in her utility bills, but she is hoping for a warmer winter and is very grateful. “They even asked if I wanted them to repaint!” Although she is struggling to get by, she described the free weatherization as “a little ray of sunshine” coming in to her life.

Weatherization provides protection of a building from the elements and helps reduce energy consumption while optimizing energy efficiency. Building energy usage in the United States contributes greatly to air pollutants and energy waste. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), created in 1976, provides assistance to low income families to reduce their home’s energy usage and improve their comfort level and safety. Four Corner’s Office for Resource Efficiency (4CORE) is the WAP source for the five county area  in Southwest Colorado. Not only does this assist our residents by improving their health and safety, it also helps reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil, and  ultimately, air pollution.


About the Author:

Beverly McAllister has volunteered and worked for 4CORE since May 2010, as an Intern for both the Office and the Weatherization Services. After having been a resident of the region for 30 years and raising her three children here, she considers it her home. Her interests include skiing, camping, music, and many artistic pursuits.

Your House: A Machine for Living

Since starting as an intern at 4CORE on January 4^th I have been on a steep learning curve in the weatherization program. I have been exposed to a wide variety of tasks and gaining on the job training in a number of different aspects of the program. I am gradually finding my niche, and feeling like a member of the 4CORE team with something to contribute.

The part of the weatherization program that I find most fascinating are the investigations of client’s homes. Over the years I have owned several different houses, but I really didn’t understand how the different systems of a house, such as heating, hot water, insulation, the flow of air and moisture (to identify just a few) all interact to form one big system that affects your comfort, health, and energy use. The first thing 4CORE does when weatherizing a home is to investigate all the systems of the house, looking for ways to improve its efficiency. This investigation is called the ‘home energy audit’. If you think of your house as a machine for living and the different systems of the house as its parts, the energy audit is the diagnostic tool used to identify the inefficient and unsafe parts.

An example of an unhealthy condition that is caused by the interaction of the house systems is something called back-drafting. Back-drafting is when combustion exhaust is pulled back into the living area of the house instead of venting up the chimney, resulting in pollution of indoor air. There are many unhealthy gases in combustion exhaust but the gas we are most concerned with is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide or CO, is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause sickness or death.

When a furnace starts running, it takes the chimney five minutes or more to heat up enough to start a draft, and small amounts of combustion gas may enter the living space. This temporary back-drafting is called spillage. The type of back-drafting we are more concerned with is continuous, and can be caused by the interaction of other exhaust air systems in a house. In houses with a mechanical room that has the furnace and the water heater next to each other, the stronger combustion of the furnace can potentially pull exhaust fumes out of the water heater vent, creating unhealthy levels of CO.

Another situation is when several exhaust air appliances are operating at the same time and create enough air suction in the house to draw furnace exhaust into the living area. Let’s take a house where a fire place is burning, the hot water heater is operating, the gas clothes dryer is on, and the range exhaust fan is running. All these systems are sucking air out of the house and up the vents. In a case like that there is potential for back-drafting of the furnace combustion exhaust and CO accumulation. It is these types of “worst case scenarios” that energy auditors test for, and correct if necessary.

As a footnote, it is a good idea to install combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in bedrooms and hallways.

Learn more about how your house works and ways to make it more energy efficient: check out the book Cut Your Energy Bill Now (150 Smart Ways To Save You Money & Make Your Home More Comfortable & Green), by Bruce Harley, 2008.

About the Author:

Tom Zajicek is interning for 4CORE through the Rocky Mountain Senior Employment in Community Program. His interest in green building and energy efficiency lead him to choose 4CORE for an internship. He is presently getting training in weatherization, including energy audits and inspections. In addition he is working on client utility data, and developing a respiratory safety program.

Tom moved to Durango two years ago from Ithaca, New York. His varied previous experience includes home building, field biology, outdoor education, and industrial roped access inspection. When not working Tom is off to the mountains, canyons and deserts of the four corners area.