AECP held its 6th annual Green Living and Energy Expo at the Roanoke Civic Center this past weekend. The event was a rousing success with increased attendance, successful workshops and seminars, more exhibits than ever before and strong media coverage. There were well over 1,000 attendees and the feedback from exhibitors and general public was overwhelmingly positive. The Energy Expo continues to grow and provide a much needed community service that will inspire, inform and enable people who are interested in saving energy and living a more sustainable life.
Many thanks to all of the AECP members listed below who gave of their time and expertise to make this event a very successful endeavor:
• Linda Rayner
• Kristin Rayner
• Melissa Commins
• Brenda Lipscomb
• Anita Villarreal
• Natalie Mays
• John Bodtmann
• Nancy Bodtmann
• Michael Bolton
• Joanne Langford
• John Langford
• Bill Craig
• John Saunders
• Rick Sheets and his TAP crew
• James Robinson
• Bill Beachy
• Chris Heslep
• Anthony Cox
• Lil Weston
• Carol Beachy
• Judy Weitzenfeld
• Dale D’Alessandro
• Chris Hudson
• Frank Early
• Eric Early
• Tom and Sandy Daniel
VIRGINIA TECH SOLAR HOUSE RECEIVES BLOWER DOOR TEST
AECP member Anthony Cox conducted a multi-point blower door test on the Virginia Tech Solar House before it traveled to Washington D.C. for the national Solar Decathlon. This test helped the students and faculty identify air leakage issues and determine the proper settings for their heat recovery system. The test also gave them points in the indoor air quality segment of the decathlon competition. The Virginia Tech solar house placed fourth out of eighteen entries in this international event.
The blower door test was also part of a presentation that Anthony did for the U.S. Green Building Council Southwest Virginia Chapter that met at the Tech solar house on September 20, 2005.
WALKING THE WALK
Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives and property of thousands of Gulf Coast residents. Millions of people nationwide reacted to this with an outpouring of sympathy, prayer, and contributions of food, supplies and money. But four AECP members took this concern a step further with an effort that turned their compassion into hard work, sweat, and time away from their jobs and families. Bill Beachy, Vice-President of Community Housing Partners (CHP), Chris Heslep, Director of Field Operations for CHP, Anthony Cox, Technical Coordinator for CHP, and Brian Urie, CHP Weatherization crew-worker all traveled to Gulfport, Mississippi during the week of September 25 to provide on the ground assistance to families in need. They coordinated their efforts with local agencies in the area that had been recipients of Weatherization training provided by CHP over the last couple of years. They delivered supplies, including a load of window air-conditioners that they had collected through donations and then stayed for a week and mainly cleared fallen trees from yards and roadways in the area. Using a chain saw in mid-90’s temperatures is not only very difficult but dangerous as well. They were housed and fed by local residents during their stay. The week- long stay was done on their own time.
AECP is very proud of these four fine gentlemen and their willingness and desire to walk the walk is an inspiration that sets an example for all of us.
ENERGY TIP
In preparation for the upcoming heating season make sure that all vent pipes and chimneys are clean and free of any creosote, dirt, and obstructions. All chimneys that use a wood-stove should be properly lined.