Rebate program begins for energy-efficient homes
Published Friday, May 16, 2008
The Alaska Housing Finance Corp. kicks off a rebate program today to reimburse property owners for making their homes more energy-efficient.
The new program will supplement a long-running weatherization effort available to residents who earn up to, but not above, the state’s median income.
The rebate program and a dramatic expansion to the weatherization program come amidst — and in response to — rocketing energy prices.
Energy raters in Fairbanks said Wednesday they’re already busier than usual this spring with calls from people looking to cut their long-term heating bills at home.
The demand for home analyses will likely grow under the rebate program, which housing officials say is only available to homeowners who consult with a qualified energy rater.
Fairbanks home inspector and energy rater Terry Duszynski said a slowdown in the housing market could free more contractors for home improvements than in past years. He also said that despite a relatively low supply of qualified energy raters in town, most people who want their homes analyzed this summer will be able to get it done.
“I think they’ll get appointments,” Duszynski said of home owners. “They just won’t get them today.”
Housing officials said they plan to train new energy raters, and to offer energy-efficiency tips to contractors, in Fairbanks in late May or early June. They said they expect a run on contractors this summer from people looking to cut their homes’ energy bills through identified steps, such as sealing air flows around plumbing and lighting fixtures, re-insulating the ceiling, or fixing the heating system.
“We want to get the program going as quick as possible to get as much work out there as possible,” housing corporation spokesman Bryan Butcher said.
Rebates
The energy rebate program is one-third of a $300 million expansion of home-weatherization and energy-efficiency programs across the state.
Property owners making above the median income — $52,061 for a family of two, $76,560 for a family of four — may be eligible for rebates for home improvements.
They must first contact a trained, certified energy rater for a visit. Home improvements following that visit should earn the homeowner energy-efficiency “points” as calculated by the rater, who would need to return for a follow-up visit before the homeowner is eligible for the rebate.
Scott Waterman, an energy specialist at the housing corporation, said it’s imperative that any homeowner above the median income who wants help upgrading his or her home calls the energy rater before doing the work.
“In most cases, it’s very difficult to tell beforehand how a rating is going to come out” before a visit, he said.
Following the second visit, the homeowner can then make improvements themselves or use a contractor before scheduling a follow-up inspection with the energy rater and applying to the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. for a rebate check that can reach as much as $10,000 for large-scale improvements.
The housing corporation is also hoping to cover the cost of having an energy rater visit a home — a visit that can otherwise cost a homeowner around $500. But energy raters in Fairbanks and the corporation have yet to agree on the level of insurance the corporation will require raters to carry to make them eligible for visit-based rebates.
“That is something we are working on right now,” Butcher, the corporation’s spokesman, said.
The housing corporation maintains a list of qualified, Fairbanks-based energy raters on its Web site (www.ahfc.us).
Weatherizing
The corporation’s home-weatherizing effort is available for homeowners making up to the state’s median income.
Interior Weatherization administers the weatherization program — from the application process through the physical work — around the Fairbanks area. Interior Weatherization director Jim Lee said his agency suddenly has access to millions of dollars more than in past years. It has been planning ahead for the change and will hand more of its work to subcontractors this year than in the past, he said.
“This year is going to be a learning year and people need to know ... we’re not going to get to everyone this summer,” he said. “We’re trying to get ramped up.”
Information about the weatherization program can be found at Interior Weatherization (452-5323 or www.interiorwx.org). Information about the rebate program can be found at the housing corporation (877-325-2508 or www.ahfc.us).
Community Discussion
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"Property owners making above the median income — $52,061 for a family of two, $76,560 for a family of four — may be eligible for rebates for home improvements."
I don't understand why property owners making MORE than the median income should be more eligible for the rebates than those making less. Aren't those the very people who can most afford to make home improvements without the need for rebates?
Is it possible that Mr. Eshleman meant to write "BELOW the median income"?
Yes Paul- I believe that is a correct assumption. It could also mean to tell people that just because you are above median (middle) income for your family size you should still check in and see if you are eligible. The thing about that is you need to be at 80% of that median income to be eligible for the grants they offer, those numbers are $39900 for a family of one and $57,000 for a family of four.
The median income is also determined by HUD at the federal level and is meant to show the average of what people report on taxes for our area as income. It also allows for adjustments based on family size, these numbers are very liberal.
The reporter was correct in his facts. The 80% figure is old, and it is now 100% of median income - the number reported is correct. People making above the incomes he wrote qualify for the rebate program, where they pay for the work and can earn rebates. Those making below those income limits qualify for the FREE weatherization program and get the work done for no cost.
$500.00 to tell me where the heat is getting out of the house??? Energy raters must have a law degree in RIPPING off the system. Perhaps they may even to tell you to turn off that STUPID HRV that THEY required to get your "5 star" rating in the first place. But vote for me and I will give you anything to get re-elected, that is now my job... at any cost...
Right on Bugger .... what a joke these energy rater morons are. But this is classic government making more BS.
The whole program is bad ... I wonder when we will stop, if ever, trying to equalize everything? Why work or try hard if the guy next door has the same or more and doesn't do squat? The poor , bla, bla, is a crock and it is a way of life.
You certainly don't see them sitting around at Doyon eating traditional Muktuk and reindeer ice cream!
James...you are saying that the people that are a part of this program are the same ones who "You certainly don't see them sitting around at Doyon eating traditional Muktuk and reindeer ice cream!"
Please dont waste mine and the good people of this great city with these kinds of statements.
The only thing you have done is exposed your true feelings and they are sad, outdated and flat wrong.
I will leave it up to the DNM to monitor this place but you are trying to ****bait this comment thread and it is WRONG!
YouMustBConfused
Don't we give "the less fortunate" enough? How about we use that money to supplement property tax and kick a little back to everyone? Maybe we can give a little something back to those of us who try hard to get ahead. It seems as though the only ones who really profit from this venture are the companies doing assesments and improvements.
I would also be interested to see how many of the people in the area making below median income actually own a home vs. rent.
Oh, and YMBC, your comment is completely useless. It is a comment on a comment, and does not address any of the content of this article. James had an opinion on the subject, whereas you added nothing - not one thing - to the comment section.
I guess you are in agreement with james's comments ecray?
Where does it say I have to add something?
I am calling out sad, old comments that do nothing for this wonderful country I live in?
Please give your state welfare check back to the State of Alaska and then you and I can discuss "the less fortunate".
Lori Hanemann: "Those making below those income limits qualify for the FREE weatherization program and get the work done for no cost."
Ah, that's the clear statement whose absence from the article so confused me. It was certainly my impression that the weatherization work was free for those below an income threshold. But then to hear no mention of that, amid news that those *above* an income threshold would get some kind of aid -- that was puzzling.
Thank you for clarifying it, Lori.
--Paul
YMBC, it says you have to add something in the User Agreements.
Among other thing on the list of things not allowed is:
* completely off-topic material
QED.
What state welfare check are you referring to? Surely you can't mean the PFD. Are you implying that I am on welfare?
I don't know how else to spell it out for you. I'm against giving handouts to people just because they didn't make a certain amount in a given year. If they want to help make homes more efficient, it should be available to everyone who want it, not just those who made less than $X.
I hear Cuba is nice this time of year. There are no social classes there. Everyone is equal, regardless of ability to perform. Why not move there if that is what you want?
If the oil belongs to the people of Alaska, and the state is getting rich selling the peoples oil, why are only certian people benefiting from this program. All alaskans are paying through the nose for energy, why should only lower income people benifit? MANY (not all) of these people are already getting paid through welfare and denali kidcare, but we give them more, but if you manage to scrape by and do OK on your own, your out of luck. Since my family makes 5 grand over the limit, we're getting nothing, but we still pay $4.20 for fuel like everyone else. BTW, gas in Saudi Arabia is selling for $0.91 today, anyone else feel like they are getting ripped off?
AHHH the old "move there" cut-down (* completely off-topic material). The PFD is a state sponsored check that I am assuming you accept with no second thought. "I'm against giving handouts to people just because they didn't make a certain amount in a given year." Give back the PFD and then we will talk.
I am for helping people improve their homes with my money. I am for helping people who are less fortunate than me. I dont believe the majority of people who ask for this help are "The poor , bla, bla, is a crock and it is a way of life." as james so sadly pointed out. I know the people involved in these programs and they are not in it to as you say "It seems as though the only ones who really profit from this venture are the companies doing assesments and improvements"
Go and talk to the people at Interior Weatherization, I did and I like what I see.
Have I satisfied your needs for me to "address any of the content of this article." It is soooooo important to me? YouMustBConfused
RooftopVoter: "BTW, gas in Saudi Arabia is selling for $0.91 today, anyone else feel like they are getting ripped off?"
Gasoline in many European countries costs more than $8 per gallon. Even in India, where the per-capita Gross Domestic Product is about 6% of that in the U.S., drivers pay more for their gasoline and diesel than we do here.
I consider gasoline to cost TOO LITTLE any place users are not paying at the pump for petroleum pollution cleanup, emergency response to car accidents, highway construction and improvement, the graveling of icy streets, the time of police and troopers doing traffic duty, and productivity lost due to high-pollution days. Unfortunately, society at large pays for these ills caused exclusively by drivers.
You may hear me say that it's difficult to heat my house, but you will not hear me complain about the high cost of gasoline for my car. Frankly, it is not nearly high enough.
YMBC,
Every resident of Alaska, regardless of income levels, is eligible to receive the PFD. It is based on residency and there are restrictions as to who can get it (felonies, for example, change eligibility.)
Can you please explain to me how giving out a PFD to people regardless of income level is the same as giving kickbacks to people with a cap on income level? I would really like to hear your explanation.
I am glad YOU are all for helping people improve their homes with YOUR money. I, on the other hand, am not. So, why don't you go ahead and pay my share?
RooftopVoter hit the nail on the head. What if he made $52,062 last year, $1 above the cutoff point. He gets nothing while his neighbor, who made $52,061 gets free weatherization. Does this seem fair? Why try to level the playing field? RooftopVoter isn't being rewarded BECAUSE he worked that extra overtime, picked up that extra shift, and worked hard for that raise.
I am including a URL. Please go here, read through the page, and realize that you, and those like you that post on here, have very flawed logical thought processes. Please try to keep up with the rest of the group and contribute something of substance.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies...
Paul,
You say the cost of gas is not high enough for several reasons. How much should it cost? Do you contribute the difference between what you pay and what you want to pay to the services listed? Do you write a check to the police department or emergency response services every time you fill up to make up for the disparity?
ecray, I do not claim to know just how much gasoline should cost. However, I am confident that we are all paying for the social costs incurred by drivers -- either through taxes, or through worthwhile services that our local, state, and national governments might but cannot offer. I do belong to an organization that encourages its members to contribute voluntarily to a fund to buy carbon credits to partly offset the pollution we cause by driving. However, I've been remiss in donating; thanks for the reminder.
You write: "I am glad YOU are all for helping people improve their homes with YOUR money. I, on the other hand, am not. So, why don't you go ahead and pay my share?"
When you are living entirely off the grid -- and I mean, in no way benefiting from anything produced on the grid -- then you have a legitimate argument for withholding aid from those less fortunate than you. One of the benefits of living in a community, though, is that the poor do not need to be at the mercy of the judgmental well-off who would not voluntarily give. They are taken care of, no matter how tight-fisted or small-hearted their fellow citizens may be.
ecray/YMBC, while i see what your trying to say and understand to a point. i also see the need for a cap (as to if it is at the right level or not is another dicussion.). But, to say that everone under that cap does not work hard for there money is just flat out ignorant. not everyone has the luck to be born into a family that can afford to send them to some fancy college, or prep school. Not everyone can get the limited scholarships that are handed out to the less fortunate. In any case there are many people who are below that income level and are very hard working people, and you may be suprised to see what kind of professionals some of them are. on the other hand I don't agree with all of what YMBC says,, but i see his points. I don't think that the GOV. should make us all equal, and I understand your fustration. there are many people who do little and take advantage of goverment handouts to live on and are dependent. But, do you really think these usually lazy people are going to go through all the trouble and paperwork to do this if they even have a house? In this trying time many people who are not quite "poor" yet may be soon i think that the state helping to save them money by helping them improve there holmes is a honorably idea. It's better than just giving them cash to spend as they see fit, who know what kind of stupid stuff some people may end up spending it on, only making the problem worse.
Love the comments on the energy raters. These people will be double dipping off this to make corrections that they should have found when they inspected the home originally. My well known energy rater and their associates looked at my home and missed so much I wondered if they really visited. Same rater also looked at my neighbors new home and notarized the insulation was top notch. Upon moving in she found there was no roof insulation.... This is a liscensed energy rater. Be careful with these guys.
So ecray you argument is...I dont want this...did I leave anything out?
For "Bugger"s comment on Energy Raters ripping off the system, far from it. For the time they put in to a full blown energy audit, which includes a blower door analysis, plus the follow-up visit, plus dealing with AHFC paperwork, it's a reasonable charge, IMHO.
marshapepper, I never said people under the cap weren't hardworking. My argument is that those of us above the cap are still affected and shouldn't be "punished" for working extra hard or choosing professions that have potential for higher earning. For example, some people want to be teachers, and decide to be in that profession and be underpaid. I didn't choose that profession. We may work just as hard, but we also made our own choices. They may have more job satisfaction, whereas an engineer may have a higher income potential. Why punish the engineer?
Paul, I don't mind helping when it is warranted. I was a landlord for a few years, and there were some less fortunate individuals that I didn't mind giving to. However, there were far more people interested in abusing the system than working hard. Why should I help fix someones home up? When they sell their home and it has a higher value because it is more efficient, are they going to kick that money back into the system?
My original point is that everyone should be given the same benefit if they pay into the system and it should not be relative to their income level. Or, fix your own house, like RooftopVoter has to do because he made more than the median by a small amount.
YMBC,
You fail at reading comprehension. Again, you post without any substance. I have clearly stated my point over and over and you refuse to acknowledge it.
One last time, and let me quote myself: "If they want to help make homes more efficient, it should be available to everyone who want it, not just those who made less than $X." Are you too dense to understand this? What is it about this statement that is causing you so much confusion? Maybe we should take this money and put it into educating our adults instead of making homes more efficient.
You still haven't explained to me how the PFD is the same as a government assistance program that has an income cap.
I swear, there should be an IQ test in order to post comments on here.
Paul buying carbon credits how will this offset pollution?
Buying carbon credits pays high salaries to the money greedy people who came up with this BS. Yes plant a tree in some other country. How much of that money will go to planting a tree and how much will go to salaries? Why don’t you just plant a tree in Fairbanks? You take part in causing pollution here, so wouldn’t you like to clean the air in Fairbanks? Do you feel better about your pollution by giving money to a corporation?
You could help out a family in need with that money. Help pay their elec., fuel, food, bills.
Your organization could start a fund and help people in need, instead of giving money to a greedy corporation.
Were in this world can you live off the grid and not have to use a product made from the grid?
I lived off the grid for over 10 years, but I still had to use products from the grid.
How long have you lived off the grid?
How many carbon credits do I get for not using the grid for ten years?
Your insults are so telling. You are under the false impression that I dont understand what you are saying? I clearly hear you. I think you are wrong in your points and pointed out that I feel that anyone who accepts PFD's can not complain about these kinds of programs. Do you hear me? YouMustBConfused
The only reason gas costs more in Europe is because they have super high taxes to pay for socialism. The crude oil costs the same, and the refineries make the same profit. For their $9 gas they get all the wonders of a socialist government. No thank you.
I am going to have to agree with Cray on this one. Unlike some people here have suggested, I didn't have a family that could afford to send me to a fancy college. In fact I couldn't even afford to pay for myself to go to college, I dropped out. I have a high school diploma. However, I am slightly above the median income level. Maybe it's because I work three jobs. That being the case, I don't think it fair that someone who happens to have only one job (but may work very hard) get free improvements to their house and I get to go through a big hassel to qualify for mine.
EXACTLY COMMONSENSE - there we have what paul is too blind to see. The comparison to saudi arabia is valid. Here is a country that exports most of its oil resources, but has come up with a system to give it's citizens a fair price. Alaska has steady oil supply, plenty of refining capacity, but we suffer the same energy costs as the rest of the country. I heard a few weeks ago that oil prices jumped because there was a refinery shutdown in England. Why the heck should we pay more for that? The bottom line is that we're getting ripped off to buy our oil back from flint hills and if the state can't come up with real solution we need to throw them out of Juneau.
Seems to be some confusion. I have contacted AHFC previously to clarify the rebate vs. weatherization program and eligibility requirements. The weaterrization program does have income limits. The rebate program does not. So, if you make less that the income amounts listed in the article you are eligible for the weatherization program (which has additional benefits for those with lower incomes). If you make more than the limits listed in the article you are eligible for the rebate program, but not the weatherization program.
Additionally, if you do not have any out-of-pocket money to spend on this, AHFC does have a loan program that they offer for these upgrades/improvements. I would suggest visiting their website for complete information, since when reading the arcticles that have been published lately it isn't entirely clear that many people will be eligible for this regardless of how much they make.
"I don't know how else to spell it out for you. I'm against giving handouts to people just because they didn't make a certain amount in a given year. If they want to help make homes more efficient, it should be available to everyone who want it, not just those who made less than $X."
people who live paycheck to paycheck cannot afford energy raters to come to their homes, let alone pay for the repairs/insulation to help make their homes more energy efficient! now that they have these services available and the means to make their homes more efficient, it will dramatically lower consumption, and lower demand translates to lower prices for everyone, not to mention cleaner air in winter.
What about people that have already done pretty much everything possible to make their houses energy efficient? Will I get a rebate on the windows I bought last summer, the insulation, weatherstrpping? Nope, if you planned ahead, took care of basic winterization/weatherization of your home on your own already, no help for you. Just another handout for many that already drag this state and this country down. If your going to help, all Alaskans should be helped. All this will do is make a lot of weatherization raters rich, and even the poor folks will still be hit hard by their fuel bills.
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