Targeted Hmong Outreach Expands Energy Efficiency Across ... · They had a goal of reaching 120...
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WWW.CLEANENERGYRESOURCETEAMS.ORG Helping Minnesota communities determine their energy future CASE STUDY: EDUCATION – METRO Targeted Hmong Outreach Expands Energy Efficiency Across Saint Paul Neighborhoods By Corrine Bruning, Metro CERT Research Assistant • June 2011 What would you do with an extra $192 in your pocket? For some, that might be a gap in money for food or for medicine. $192 is the average annual savings in energy costs of Saint Paul homeowners who received a Home Energy Squad visit where trained crews installed energy efficient materials in their homes. For some low-income residents, this extra money really helps a tight budget. The Neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC) runs the Home Energy Squads in Saint Paul, with backing from Xcel Energy and support from CERTs and the Center for Energy and Environment through a Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources contract. This utility and partner support has allowed them to keep the visits low cost for Saint Paul residents, and free for neighbors who qualify for low-income Energy Assistance. The installations are done by squad members, who are mostly Americorps members serving with the Minnesota Conservation Corps and are trained in residential energy conservation. There are also professionals who have been working in the field for years leading the crews who serve as guides for the Americorps members. They work in teams of two, installing efficiency materials such as weather stripping, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), programmable thermostats, and more in local homes. They then make suggestions for bigger, next steps such as insulating an attic or getting a more comprehensive home energy audit. The NEC is a Saint Paul-based nonprofit that has been working on energy conservation programs for 25 years. Besides the Home Energy Squads, they run HourCar (car share program), schedule and perform Home Energy Audits for Xcel Energy, and offer a variety of energy improvement financing programs, mostly in the form of loans to help pay for home energy projects. The NEC Home Energy Squads began in August of 2009, and in the first year had nine crew members on staff and performed 300 home visits. The first year was considered successful in reaching homeowners who were interested in and seeking residential energy efficiency opportunities. Early participants were recruited through existing neighborhood networks and traditional local media outlets. One of the main lessons learned from that first year was that they needed to reach a larger part of the Saint Paul population, namely new immigrants with English as a second language. CERTs PARTNERS University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships Eureka Recycling Southwest Regional Development Commission The Minnesota Project Office of Energy Security, Minnesota Department of Commerce C E R Ts F U N D E R S Xcel Energy’s Renewable Development Fund via Office of Energy Security Bush Foundation Environment & Natural Resource Trust Fund Project Snapshot Project: Outreach in Saint Paul’s Hmong Community to recruit participants for a residential energy efficiency program. Energy Savings: 94,940 kWh/year, 27,979 therms/year Benefits: Home energy visits to 365 Hmong households, translation of building efficiency materials and introduction of insulation and energy incentive programs (rebates, tax credits) to previously inaccessible audience. Total Project Cost: $51,600 Partners and Funding: City of Saint Paul, Xcel Energy, Center for Energy and Environment, MN Conservation Corps, East Side Neighborhood Development Company, Metro CERT ($5000) Home Energy Squad staff
Transcript of Targeted Hmong Outreach Expands Energy Efficiency Across ... · They had a goal of reaching 120...
WWW.CLEANENERGYRESOURCETEAMS.ORG
Helping Minnesota communities determine their energy future
CASE STUDY: EDUCATION – METRO
Targeted Hmong Outreach Expands EnergyEfficiency Across Saint Paul NeighborhoodsBy Corrine Bruning, Metro CERT Research Assistant • June 2011
What would you do with an extra $192 in yourpocket? For some, that might be a gap in money forfood or for medicine. $192 is the average annualsavings in energy costs of Saint Paul homeownerswho received a Home Energy Squad visit wheretrained crews installed energy efficient materials intheir homes. For some low-income residents, thisextra money really helps a tight budget.
The Neighborhood Energy Connection (NEC) runsthe Home Energy Squads in Saint Paul, with backingfrom Xcel Energy and support from CERTs and theCenter for Energy and Environment through aLegislative-Citizen Commission on MinnesotaResources contract. This utility and partner supporthas allowed them to keep the visits low cost forSaint Paul residents, and free for neighbors whoqualify for low-income Energy Assistance.
The installations are done by squad members, whoare mostly Americorps members serving with theMinnesota Conservation Corps and are trained inresidential energy conservation. There are also professionals who have been working in the field foryears leading the crews who serve as guides for theAmericorps members. They work in teams of two,installing efficiency materials such as weather stripping, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs),programmable thermostats, and more in localhomes. They then make suggestions for bigger, nextsteps such as insulating an attic or getting a morecomprehensive home energy audit.
The NEC is a Saint Paul-based nonprofit that hasbeen working on energy conservation programs for25 years. Besides the Home Energy Squads, theyrun HourCar (car share program), schedule and perform Home Energy Audits for Xcel Energy, andoffer a variety of energy improvement financing programs, mostly in the form of loans to help payfor home energy projects.
The NEC Home Energy Squads began in August of2009, and in the first year had nine crew memberson staff and performed 300 home visits.
The first year was considered successful in reachinghomeowners who were interested in and seekingresidential energy efficiency opportunities. Earlyparticipants were recruited through existing neighborhood networks and traditional local mediaoutlets.
One of the main lessons learned from that first yearwas that they needed to reach a larger part of theSaint Paul population, namely new immigrants withEnglish as a second language.
CERTs PARTNERS
University of Minnesota’sRegional SustainableDevelopmentPartnerships
Eureka Recycling
Southwest RegionalDevelopmentCommission
The Minnesota Project
Office of EnergySecurity, MinnesotaDepartment ofCommerce
CERTs FUNDERS
Xcel Energy’s RenewableDevelopment Fund viaOffice of Energy Security
Bush Foundation
Environment & NaturalResource Trust Fund
Project Snapshot
Project: Outreach in Saint Paul’s Hmong Community torecruit participants for a residential energy efficiency program.
Energy Savings: 94,940 kWh/year, 27,979 therms/year
Benefits:Home energy visits to 365 Hmong households,translation of building efficiency materials andintroduction of insulation and energy incentiveprograms (rebates, tax credits) to previously inaccessible audience.
Total Project Cost: $51,600
Partners and Funding: City of Saint Paul, Xcel Energy, Center for Energyand Environment, MN Conservation Corps, EastSide Neighborhood Development Company,Metro CERT ($5000)
Home Energy Squad staff
The Hmong community is such a large part of Saint Paul’s social fabric, without having aHmong crew leader who could speak Hmong and who understands the culture, the crewswere having a hard time reaching out to this community.
Thus the Home Energy Squad Outreach & Training project was created. It was designed toachieve greater participation in residential energy conservation careers, broaden understanding of energy and environmental topics, and increase home energy efficiency-based savings among new Americans, especially in Saint Paul’s Hmong community.
They had a goal of reaching 120 Hmong homeowners with direct in-home installation ofkey efficiency measures. The first Hmong Energy Trainee, Cheng Vang, was hired in early2010, and began their position with training in residential energy issues and audits. Sincestarting with the organization, Cheng led over 365 Home Energy Squad visits, and has started performing full home energy audits. The materials installed in 161 Hmong homeshave helped to offset 5.75 million pounds of CO2, and have saved an estimated $38,400 onthis community’s annual utility bills.
Two more Hmong staff people were hired through outreach funding NEC leveraged,enabling them to do more outreach in the community. Josh Davis, the Home Energy SquadsProgram Manager says “From a business sense, this allows us to reach out to a market wecouldn’t otherwise. From a nonprofit standpoint, it allows us help more of the community.”
A major challenge for this program was engaging Hmong-speaking households in homeenergy conservation. Since the workshops, outreach and door knocking materials were inEnglish, NEC needed to create Hmong, Karen and Lao language presentations. They alsodeveloped a referral relationship with another organization with Hmong staff-the East SideNeighborhood Development Company. Participants were enrolled in the program throughneighborhood workshops, door knocking and community events. CERTs helped to presentat the neighborhood workshops.
“One big lesson was the goal should have not only been visits for the squads, but also net-working specifically within the Hmong community,” reflects Davis. “A better way to organ-ize [within the Hmong community], might be to set-up more like a Tupperware party for aspecific family or church.” This lesson on outreach to a targeted community is valuable forfuture work.
The Squads also learned it would have been useful to partner this program with otherweatherization efforts. Many families went on to receive full energy audits, utilizing othergrants and rebates, and moved forward with larger installations, including insulation. Ifthese opportunities were bundled with the program from the beginning, it could create evengreater energy savings and streamline the process for community members.
All in all, the Squads are very happy with the success of their project. Davis adds, “Theassistance in hiring and training that CERTs provided through their seed grant funding wasgreat. The CERT grant allowed us to hire that specific Hmong Crew Member position rampup recruitment and visits in the Hmong community. Also, CERTs helped greatly in theiroverall networking and outreach efforts. The District Councils who began to see the HomeEnergy Squads as a big service in reaching out to families in their communities.”
The NEC was able to leverage their CERTs seed grant to receive long-term funding from theMinnesota Division of Energy Resources (then Office of Energy Security) and the NorthwestArea Foundation, allowing them to employ the Home Energy Squad Trainee long term, aswell as to do marketing, research, outreach, training, and recruitment to continue service toHmong and other disadvantaged customer and employee groups.
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Home Energy Squad members review materials with outreach staff
Performing a furnace inspection as part of a Home EnergySquad visit.
For more information about the NeighborhoodEnergy Connection Home Energy Squad Outreach & Training Project, contact Josh Davis at: (651) 221-4462 ext. 111 or email [email protected].
Testimonial
“CERTs helped greatly in the overall networkingand outreach efforts through workshops and relationships built with the District Councils whobegan to see the Home Energy Sqauds as a bigservice in reach out to families in their communities.”
-Josh Davis
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