by Penni McLean-Conner, NSTAR
Communities increasingly are interested in proactively addressing their energy needs. Utilities see this community interest as a key to unlock additional energy savings by tapping into the community spirit. Hence, energy efficiency programs across the country are designing new outreach and delivery models that leverage their communities by tapping into the enthusiasm, innovation and resources available in communities.
Community-based outreach and community mobilization initiatives (CMIs) are two models being implemented. Community-based outreach taps into the word-of-mouth aspect of encouraging participation. CMIs involve the community-based outreach and append to this delivery mechanisms that involve local community members.
This article, the second in a two-part series on community-centered energy efficiency, focuses on CMIs. Part one in the January/February issue of Electric Light & Power magazine explored community- based outreach.
CMIs tap into the community pride and word-of-mouth recommendation and also create local green jobs. CMIs are a more complicated undertaking requiring tremendous upfront planning and coordination. Massachusetts has launched two CMIs in New Bedford and Boston’s Chinatown.
The New Bedford CMI pilot tests the effectiveness of using a local work force in a person-to-person approach to introduce city residents to NSTAR’s free energy assessments. The goal is to increase participation in the assessments, thereby creating demand for weatherization work that trained local contractors will perform. NSTAR will use the information gathered through this pilot to determine the feasibility of adopting similar outreach initiatives across its service area.
“This program ” puts our young people on a career path which leads to many different profitable and satisfying skills and professions,” said Scott W. Lang, New Bedford mayor, in a press release. “Creating jobs and developing energy sustainability and independence is the most important objective that we will achieve in the 21st century.”
The New Bedford CMI pilot leverages training provided by the local YouthBuild program. A team of New Bedford community mobilization leaders trained by the Marion Institute’s Green Jobs, Green Economy Initiative are conducting person-to-person outreach to build interest in the energy-audit program. Conservation Services Group, NSTAR’s statewide audit contractor, schedules appointments and performs the initial home assessments to provide residents with valuable energy efficiency
information. Included is a determination whether homes would benefit from additional weatherization measures such as free air sealing or financial incentives for adding insulation.
The YouthBuild program, run locally by People Acting in Community Endeavors (PACE), then provides the contractors who perform the recommended weatherization measures, including blown-in insulation and air-leak sealing.
The YouthBuild crews are composed of inner-city young adults who have met strict, statewide training requirements to ensure quality workmanship. Darlene Lombos, co-executive director of Community Labor United, has been the driver behind the Chinatown pilot.
“In this economic crisis, we need jobs, lower utility bills and healthier communities,” Lombos said in a press release. “The Chinatown Weatherization Pilot puts all those pieces together.”
The Chinatown Weatherization Pilot Project strives to weatherize 70 to 130 housing units in the Boston Chinese community using trained, local residents. In the Chinatown pilot, outreach and enrollment of community residents is being completed by the Chinese Progressive Association.
Much upfront planning is needed for maximum success, said Tina Haggerty, program manager for NSTAR’s CMI pilots. In addition, processes must be in place to coordinate multiple groups that will be involved in the CMI implementation, she said. These groups range from community organizations helping with outreach, to training organizations, to delivery teams and many interested and active local stakeholders. CMIs connect with the benefit of word-of-mouth marketing and create local
jobs while saving local residents real dollars through energy efficiency investments.
Author
Penni McLean-Conner is the vice president of customer care at NSTAR, the largest investor-owned electric and gas utility in Massachusetts. McLean-Conner, a registered professional engineer, serves on several industry boards of directors, including the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and CS Week. Her latest book,”Energy Efficiency: Principles and Practices,” is available at https://pennwell books.com.
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