State and Local Climate and Energy Program
Advancing Greenhouse Gas Reductions through Affordable Housing
James City County, Virginia
Federal Funding: $303,828
Project Timeline: February 2010 – December 2012
Latest Update
Two EarthCraft retrofit projects have been completed and additional audits are being scheduled. Three owner-occupied homes have completed energy efficiency retrofits, and other energy efficiency efforts are underway. James City County is using meetings and workshops to reach out to residents about the home energy audits available through the program. The County will do more outreach through their website and a county television channel infomercial.
Project Summary
Revitalizing Communities by Promoting Energy Efficiency in Residential Households
Like many communities across the country, James City County’s residential housing market is experiencing many foreclosures. To address this issue, the County is launching a program to link urban revitalization efforts with improvements in residential building energy performance. The goal of this program is to target older, low-to-moderate-income households in an area with one of the highest foreclosure rates in the county to achieve three goals:
- Retrofit, rehabilitate, and resell foreclosed homes,
- Promote energy audits and retrofits in owner-occupied homes, and
- Engage in public outreach and education.
First, the County is building on existing efforts to revitalize neighborhoods by financing energy improvements in foreclosed homes that are undergoing rehabilitation. Twelve of these homes are part of the EarthCraft Single Family Renovations Program, which is designed to reduce energy use in rehabilitated homes by a minimum of 30%. The County will collect annual energy usage data from home buyers who participate in the program.
Second, the County is promoting energy efficiency retrofits in owner-occupied homes. Homeowners can apply to obtain energy audits and energy efficiency improvement cost estimates. Up to twelve low- and moderate-income households will receive financing for the recommended retrofits.
Finally, the program's benefits will be broadly communicated to stakeholders through outreach and education initiatives. Rehabilitation and financing initiatives will be publicized by elected officials, County staff, and through broadcasts on the County's public access television station. The County will organize open houses at rehabilitated homes to communicate the energy efficiency benefits of retrofits, and opportunities to access resources. A Web page will highlight the program and other conservation efforts. The page will provide resources such as a simplified explanation of assessing home energy performance and ways to reduce GHG emissions.
The program will achieve direct GHG reductions through energy efficiency improvements, provide support to an economically stressed area of the county, and improve the housing stock in the targeted area. This affordable housing program is a key component of James City County's ongoing efforts to build a coalition of citizens, businesses, and local government that work together to promote energy efficiency and improve quality of life.
Community Characteristics
| Population: | 50,000 |
|---|---|
| Area: | 144 square miles |
| Government Type: | County |
| Community Type: | Suburban |
| Median Household Income: | $46,000 in targeted area |
Program Results/Estimated Results
| Expected GHG Reductions: | 91 metric tons CO2e annually |
|---|---|
| Actual GHG Reductions (as of March 2012): | 10.17 metric tons CO2e annually |
| Expected Electricity Savings: | 10,500 kWh/household annually |
| Expected Homes Rehabilitated: | 12 |
| Expected Energy Audits Conducted: | 60 |
| Actual Energy Audits Conducted (as of March 2012): | 23 |
| Expected Homes Retrofitted: | 12 |
| Actual Homes Retrofitted (as of March 2012): | 5 |
