Carson Creek Homes Receive Weatherization Upgrades
The Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC), in collaboration with the Travis County Housing Services (TCHS), is working to reduce the health and safety risk of its Carson Creek residents, while also addressing the high energy burden of heating and cooling the homes. Through the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), a federally funded program, the TCHS is in the process of installing and/or replace the following in HATC-owned duplexes within this housing development: new heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) duct work; attic insulation; solar screens; weather-stripping around doors and windows; and ventilation fans (improves indoor air quality). In a few cases, inefficient appliances and heating/cooling units are also being replaced with high efficiency models.
Carson Creek Homes, located in the southeast Austin/Del Valle area, is comprised of both two and three-bedroom duplexes. HATC owns 8 duplexes (16 units) within that particular development. HATC’s Affordable Housing program provides housing for Travis County residents that qualify as very low income (50% of the metro statistical area median income) and low income (80% of the metro statistical area median income).
The US Department of Energy (DOE) and Travis County Health and Human Services and Veteran Service’s (HHS) Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are the two primary sources of funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, and eligibility is determine taking into account the individual resident’s income, in addition to their 12-month energy billing history.
TCHS has completed work on 8 of the 13 qualified households since the weatherization project began on September 20, 2016. It is anticipated that a total of $50,000 in grant funds will be expended by project completion. This averages slightly under $3,900 per home; however, in one instance, in excess of $5,700 in upgrades were afforded to one unit.
Doug Misenheimer, TCHS Program Manager, administers a team that oversees a combination of contractors and Travis County personnel that perform the retrofit improvements and upgrades. Contractors in plumbing, electrical, solar screens, and HVAC are utilized to meet the program’s goals. In sharing about WAP, he states, “It is truly a team effort to coordinate and oversee all the moving parts of the program. Our highly talented and dedicated team members’ work intently on ensuring all requirements are adhered to and our clients receive the most complete and professional experience that we can provide.”
“These weatherization funds will go a long way in helping us making Carson Creek more energy efficient, and provide a better, more comfortable situation for the residents,” says HATC Executive Director Patrick Howard.
HATC is looking for partners to assist them in their efforts to expand supportive services to its residents as part of its Community Development initiative. For more information, visit www.hatctx.com or find us on Facebook.
