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GRANT INCREASES ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF HOMES

Release Date: 09/28/2001
Contact Information:

Note to Correspondents

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2001

GRANT INCREASES ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF HOMES

Dave Ryan 202-564-7827 / ryan.dave@epa.gov



As part of the ongoing effort to support the President’s energy plan, EPA has awarded $50,000 to Energy Rated Homes of America (ERHA) of Oceanside, Calif. to increase demand for new energy efficient homes and help homeowners improve the energy efficiency of existing ones.

Acting through its Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), ERHA will use this grant to encourage certified home energy raters to expand their line of services beyond new homes to include rating energy efficiency in existing homes. A home energy rater evaluates the energy efficiency of a home by conducting on-site inspections of a home’s heating and air conditioning systems, insulation, windows, and other systems and compares this efficiency to a national or state standard for similar homes. Home energy raters can help existing home owners to identify areas in their home where they can improve energy efficiency and potentially lower their utility bills.

With this grant, RESNET will also hold a conference in 2002 to allow energy professionals the opportunity to get up-to-date information from industry and EPA experts on changes taking place within the residential energy efficiency industry. A similar RESNET conference in 2001 drew over 220 residential energy efficiency professionals from across the nation.

In addition, the grant will facilitate discussions between RESNET and the Energy and Environmental Building Association (EEBA) on building an educational alliance that will develop a single “one-stop” source of comprehensive information for consumers and industry professionals on residential energy efficiency issues. EEBA, of Bloomington, Minn., is an organization dedicated to educating builders in energy efficient construction and best management practices for reducing energy consumption in homes.

ERHA is a nonprofit organization that represents and supports accredited home energy raters in their effort to improve residential energy efficiency through a national market for home energy ratings. RESNET, the information arm of ERHA, is a nonprofit national network of housing and energy professionals dedicated to improving the energy efficiency of the nation's housing stock by expanding the national availability of home energy ratings.

For further technical information, contact Jonathan Passe of EPA at 202-564-9793
( passe.jonathan@epa.gov)

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