[December 1, 2011]

Volunteers are accumulating hours in the early stages of the program by joining sub-committees. The volunteers were tasked with the job of enhancing the visibility of the program within the Arlington community, to lay the foundation for energy efficiency outreach and education, and to develop ways to sustain the program. The volunteers have begun carrying out these goals by incorporating various strategies.

  • Communications Team - creates outreach and marketing material that are shared with apartment tenants in the retrofit recruitment process.
  • Recruitment & Outreach Team - connects with tenant participants and discusses the prudence of energy efficient changes that can be made in the home.
  • Supply Acquisition Team - assists in securing equipment, donations, and supplies for the retrofit work.
  • Pay-for-Service Team - creates a plan to sustain the EEE program by charging nominal fees for the retrofit work to be done upon request.

[October 6, 2011]

ACE has welcomed its first corps of 31 Energy Efficiency Education (EEE) volunteers, who are being trained to make the necessary energy and water efficiency improvements to the participating apartment units. Modeled after the Master Gardeners program, volunteers were provided with comprehensive energy efficiency training and subsequently will utilize their knowledge to retrofit apartments in January and February 2012.

The EEE program focuses on increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy bills for residents in the Arlington County Neighborhood Focus Areas and is funded by the Arlington County Community Development Fund. The Courthouse Crossing and Marbella apartment complexes, owned by Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) and managed by Paradigm, will serve as the  retrofit sites for ACE’s inaugural EEE program.

[August 30, 2011]

ACE had a great time at the County Fair this month. At the fair, we were actively recruiting volunteers for our EEE program as we prepare to kick off our first volunteer training this fall. We’re very pleased to see the overwhelming support and interest for the new program. Training will begin in October with three in-class sessions followed by two hands-on field sessions in the months to follow. We expect to have volunteers actively weatherizing and retrofitting low-income units in January and February 2012.