During the month of January, AECP re-located its office from Christiansburg to the Jacksonville Center in Floyd, Virginia. The Jacksonville Center (TJC) is a small business incubator and community cultural center, which promotes economic development in the region. TJC is housed in a renovated dairy barn complex just outside the Town of Floyd. It is located on Route 8, south, about a mile from the only traffic light in town (going towards the Blue Ridge Parkway). It is, from the light, just past Turman-Yeatts Motor Co. on the right. The AECP office is located in a small building adjacent to the dairy barn. AECP will be sharing the office space with Architectural Alternatives, a Blacksburg firm, which will open a satellite office in Floyd.
Before moving into the building – it was necessary to renovate the building and to make it more energy efficient. Many thanks to Community Housing Partners, Inc., (CHPC) a non-profit housing organization in Christiansburg, who generously donated materials and labor to help weatherize the office space. CHPC donated seven energy efficient replacement windows, prepped and insulated the attic, donated and installed a nine-light wooden door, sealed bypasses, insulated the existing water heater and performed blower door directed air-sealing. J&J Weatherization in Lynchburg also donated an energy efficient replacement window, which will be installed at a later date. These efforts and other measures will be documented and used to help educate the general public about the importance of being more energy efficient.
There are several reasons for the office re-location. The new office arrangement will save AECP over $200 per month in reduced rent and provide some significant opportunities for new partnerships and directions for the organization. AECP in partnership with Architectural Alternatives and the Jacksonville Center is developing plans to build a energy and environmental demonstration and education center, which will be connected to the existing “new” AECP office. The purpose of the education center will be to create a space that incorporates sustainable design, green building technology, energy conservation, weatherization techniques, and renewable energy and allow these technologies to be interactive educational demonstrations. These hands-on exhibits, props, and models will provide an excellent educational opportunity for the general public. This will also serve as an extension of the same philosophy that drives AECP’s annual Energy Expo – using interactive, hands-on exhibits and demonstrations to show people why it is important to save energy and then show how this can be accomplished in the home and/or business.
AECP IS PLANNING 5TH ANNUAL ENERGY EXPO
Aecp’s 5TH annual Energy Expo will be held at the Roanoke Civic Center on December 3 and 4, 2004. Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend and participate in this event. We are developing some very exciting and interesting ideas for this years Expo.
TOYOTA INTRODUCES 4WD HYBRID ELECTRIC SUV
In 2005, Toyota will offer to consumers a mid-size four wheel drive SUV – the Highlander – that will carry seven passengers and maintain the fuel economy of a four- cylinder compact. Models with 4WD will be equipped with front and rear electric motors that will deliver balanced power to all four wheels and provide instantaneous acceleration. The Highlander will ride on 17- inch alloy wheels and offer all of the amenities that consumers associate with a high-end SUV. This hybrid electric vehicle will combine excellent gas mileage with an over 50% reduction in harmful exhaust emissions.
2005 FEDERAL BUDGET DETAILS
The President’s funding year 2005 budget, released February 2, proposes LIHEAP funding at $1.85 billion – same amount as 2004 – but would increase emergency funding from $100 million to $200 million. In addition, the 2005 budget requests $500,000 to conduct an evaluation of LIHEAP. The budget also increases funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program from $228 million to $291 million.
ENERGY TIP
Buy a copy of the January/February 2004 issue of Home Energy Magazine and read about the good work that AECP member organization, The New River Center for Energy Research and Training (NRCERT) has been doing in Mississippi, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. NRCERT has been training contractors in these states in the whole-house approach to weatherization. Congratulations to AECP members Bill Beachy, Anthony Cox, John Langford, and Lil Weston for their excellent efforts.