The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Task force wants to increase energy efficiency for renters
Incentives also available for landlords to go solar
MIDDLETOWN — The city’s Clean Energy Task Force is hosting an information session for low-income renters who don’t realize they may qualify for programs that offer solar panels and energy-efficient assessments at a reduced rate.
Comfortable, Healthy, Energy Efficient and Renewable Middletown, dubbed CHEER, is a collaboration between the task force, North End Action Team, Home Energy Services, New England Conservation Services, Sunlight Solar and others that hopes to lessen the city’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Anyone who owns or rents in Middletown may qualify for free or affordable programs.
“We were pleasantly surprised as we did our investigating that there is actually more funding out there than we thought and we’ll be looking into more funding to fill the gaps where there may not be state or Eversource incentives,” said Wesleyan University Sustainability Director Jen Kleindienst, chairwoman of the task force.
Eligibility is based on households that earn 60 percent or less of the state median income based on family size.
CHEER partners will host a drop-in event Oct. 21 from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Green Street Teaching and Learning Center, 51 Green St., where organizations will teach residents about various assistance programs. The session will also help dispel myths — and field the concerns of property owners.
In multi-family homes, 50 percent of the units should contain individuals considered low income, Kleindienst said. In that case, owner-occupied houses would qualify, she said.
Another hurdle to tenants looking into these energy-efficient and renewables programs may be fear of higher leases once the landlord realizes he or she can raise the rent because of reduced energy costs, she said. Renters have a lot more control over their housing situation then they may realize, she said.
For instance, the state prevents landlords from increasing rent for a certain period of time after solar panels are installed or energy efficiency is achieved, Kleindienst said.
Some multi-family building owners may be worried about incurring penalties from the city if there are health or safety issues.
“Even though it’s free to have a home audit (for those who qualify), there are chances a landlord might say no because of a violation. We are not the code police,” Kleindienst said. HES findings are not shared with the city or state, she said.
If energy auditors see something, they are under no obligation to report it, she said.
“This is set up to build trust. We’re not here to enforce; we’re here to make a home more comfortable,” she said.
Multi-family homeowners would pay for photovoltaic panels up front, but they will see some savings immediately, said Brendan Smith, sales and design manager at Sunlight Solar in New Haven, who will be at the Oct. 21 event.
“They could power the entire house with solar and be able to pass some of the savings on to tenants and basically include electricity in the rent,” Smith said.
The landlord can also apply for a low-interest loan through the state and finance the entire cost by borrowing over 10 years at 1 percent interest, he said.
His most recent project for Sunlight Solar was a four-unit building in New Haven converted to residential space in which the owner lives in one unit. With the solar installation, the owner combined all the meters into one.
“The landlord can increase the cost of rent for other units and just ‘pay their electric bills for them,’” Smith said. “In reality, they’re covering it with solar, so there should be next to no utility costs. They’d be able to recoup some of their investment in the increased price of rent.”
When Kleindienst first moved to Middletown, she rented a home, and, because she was aware of the HES program, she knew that all is needed is permission from homeowner to conduct these audits.
“My landlord said he’d pay half of the $100 charge at time,” she said of the assessment fee. “I figured, ‘We're going to save more than $50 on oil alone,’ so it was worth it for me. I lived in a four-family house, so they just did my unit.”
Michael Harris, energy consultant for the city of Middletown, is a staff member of the task force.
“So many people don’t have access to renewable energy, which, in some cases, is becoming extremely competitive and even less expensive than conventional electrical energy,” he said.
The goal of CHEER is to find a way to for residents to take advantage of lower cost renewal energy.
“It’s very economically competitive, and yet, if you don’t have the credit rating or you don’t have money to buy it or don’t own your house, then you can’t access it,” Harris said.
The primary partner for the CHEER initiative is Woodbridge-based New England Conservation Services, which conducts energy audits and helps connect owners and renters.
Owner John Greeno, whose company conducts health and safety analyses, looks for gas leaks, drafts from natural gas or oil heating systems, high carbon monoxide readings, mold and asbestos in a building, he said.
Greeno partners with HES, which offers energy efficiency funding from the state. If there is asbestos or old electrical wiring present, Greeno will refer people to the HES program, which charges $149 for the assessment and other core services, he said.
That includes LED lighting. As part of the program, households can have up to 25 incandescent bulbs replaced by LEDs. And there’s a subsidized fee if people want to buy more, Greeno said.
“Air sealing is usually the big component that we do. We pressurize the building to test for air leaks then seal them up while we’re right there,” Greeno said. “We monitor what we’re doing so we don’t over tighten the building, which is common in older neighborhoods like the North End.”
If something prohibits a fully battery of tests, Greeno said his staff will work with the customer to try and find funding to help alleviate their issues.
Small grants are available through Energize Connecticut, the Green Bank, and Eversource, among others.
“They’ll always be something going on that people can take advantage of, even if it’s just the lighting,” Greeno said.
For more information, see neconserves.com or sunlightsolar.com.