December 5, 2022
Project Partners:
Bradley Electric & Custom Finishes
Weatherization Deferral Repair (WDR) Program
Dominion Energy EnergyShare Program
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Dorothy Carter, who has lived in her small home in Elkton, Virginia since 1979, reached out to the Harrisonburg Rockingham United Way for assistance with her home in early 2022. United Way sent her to CHP Energy Solutions.
After program approval and an initial visit, it became apparent the home was not ready for weatherization. In collaboration with local contractors and funding through Virginia’s Weatherization Deferral Repair (WDR) program, CHP began addressing the various challenges in the home. The goal was to correct the immediate safety concerns while providing the repairs required before the home could be safely weatherized.
Arial view of the new roof installed on Carter’s home (October 2022)
Amory Fisher, an Energy Auditor with CHP Energy Solutions, was first to arrive at Carter’s home in early 2022. “It is no exaggeration to say that the WDR program saved this home,” he said. “When I arrived on site for the first time, the roof was leaking, the septic was backed up into the basement, and the oil furnace was rusted out – all of which we were able to fix with WDR.”
Throughout the summer and into the fall of 2022, CHP’s network of contractor partners like Bradley Electric provided the needed repairs to Carter’s home. The basement was washed and cleaned up, the electrical was upgraded, and a new heat pump, water heater, and roof were installed. With the necessary repairs and upgrades complete, her home received weatherization through Dominion Energy’s EnergyShare Weatherization Services Program in winter of 2022.
Carter, who works full time and takes pride in the home she raised a family in, is grateful for the improvements to her home. She knew that even working full-time, such improvements were out of reach. “It will be so much nicer here when I come home from work,” she shared. “I’ve been here for about 43 years. There have been challenges, but I’m going to keep on living here.”
Dorothy Carter
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: Making Homes ‘Weatherization Ready’
Before Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in 2020, homes like Carter’s were typically deferred. Limited weatherization funds cannot cover repairs needed to prepare homes for weatherization, so CHP and other weatherization providers were unable to serve these households. This led to a backlog of households, often those most in need, that were unable to access the powerful benefits of the weatherization program. Families were left trying to find help elsewhere. (Learn more about how CHP is benefiting clients through the RGGI program.)
RGGI now generates millions in funding for energy efficiency and flood mitigation programs annually. One of those programs, the Weatherization Deferral Repair (WDR) program, has enabled weatherization providers to serve Carter’s home, and hundreds more like hers, by making her home ‘weatherization ready.’ Urgent health and safety work was completed, including electrical and plumbing repairs, as well as a new roof. As a result, one more home can see lower utility bills and improved health, safety, and comfort that would not have been able to before the WDR program was established.
A Bradley Electric worker at Carter’s home in Elkton (September 2022)
WDR Improvements: ‘Weatherization Readiness’
- New hot water heater
- New metal roof
- Plumbing repair and basement sewage clean up
- Home electrical upgrade
- Switch from oil furnace to high efficiency heat pump
Weatherization and Energy Efficiency Improvements
- Attic, wall, and floor Insulation
- LED bulbs and low-flow shower heads
- Air sealing and ventilation fan
- Pipe insulation
- And more!
To learn more about how CHP Energy Solutions can benefit you and your neighbors, visit the Energy Solution website, call (888) 229-3174, or email escommunications@chpc2.org.