State and Local Climate and Energy Program
GHG Reduction through Home Energy Affordability Loan Program
Little Rock, Arkansas
Federal Funding: $500,000
Project Timeline: February 2011 – December 2012
Project Summary
Facilitating and Financing the Residential Retrofit Process
The City of Little Rock has partnered with the William J. Clinton Foundation's Climate Initiative - Arkansas (CCI-AR) to continue development of the Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL) program. Through the HEAL program, the City of Little Rock will conduct a demonstration and implementation project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy performance in residential buildings and create a template for the program to be replicated in other communities.
The HEAL program enlists employers to facilitate and administer the program to qualifying employees and community members. This allows the program to overcome a key outreach barrier and engage people at their place of work. Moreover, CCI-AR facilitates financing of energy efficient retrofits for employees’ homes, as well as loan repayments through payroll deductions.
Through the HEAL program, Little Rock will offer 375 free energy audits to employees of industry partners and community members, with low-to-moderate income (LMI) employees receiving preference. HEAL will also incorporate indoor air quality assessment, implementation, and monitoring protocols to address the high incidence of respiratory ailments and asthma often found in low income homes. HEAL auditors will produce detailed Personal Energy Plans, which outline the audit findings in an easy to understand way and make recommendations for cost effective home energy retrofits.
Little Rock will implement home energy retrofits for at least 30 LMI program participants who will receive AmeriCorps labor assistance. If an LMI participant decides to move forward with the recommended retrofit measures, HEAL creates a Scope of Work detailing the exact tasks to be performed and the cost of the work. HEAL works with participants to complete the application and relevant paperwork to access financing for their home retrofit. Little Rock will then quantify the impact and effectiveness of the work performed and will compare the savings to the participant’s pre-retrofit energy usage by accessing 12 months of energy billing information following the retrofit installation.
Finally, Little Rock will work to share the process and lessons learned from creating the program, so that other entities can replicate it. The Clinton Climate Initiative will create a HEAL program template including sample forms and documents, sample marketing materials, before and after energy ratings for each home, frequency and cost benefit analysis of expected retrofits, training protocols, and performance and productivity standards. HEAL will monetize and evaluate HEAL as part of an employer-assisted energy benefit program. Finally, HEAL will incorporate Community Based Social Marketing tools to further engage employees and community residents.
The program will provide many co-benefits, including:
- Reducing energy and utility costs
- Increasing the disposable income of homeowners
- Stimulating the local economy through increased investment by homeowners
- Helping to meet community affordable housing needs
- Improving indoor air quality and public health
Community Characteristics
| Population: | 189,000 |
|---|---|
| Area: | 116 square miles |
| Government Type: | City |
| Community Type: | Urban |
| Median Household Income: | $43,160 |
Program Results/Estimated Results
| Expected GHG Reductions: | 985 metric tons CO2e total |
|---|---|
| Expected Free Energy Audits: | 375 |
| Energy Audits Completed as of 12/2011: | 159 |
| Expected Free Home Retrofits: | 30 |
| Home Retrofits Completed as of 12/2011: | 73 |
Media Coverage
- Healing the Climate,
August 2011