NASCSP MID-WINTER TRAINING CONFERENCE

THE WAP FEDERAL PERSPECTIVE

Weatherization and Intergovernmental ProgramOffice of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

February 25, 2010

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President Barack Obama,

December 15, 2009:

“…The simple act of retrofitting these buildings to make them more energy-efficient -- installing new windows and doors, insulation, roofing, sealing leaks, modernizing heating and cooling equipment -- is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest things we can do to put Americans back to work…”

Weatherization Is a Centerpiece of America’s Recovery

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With Increased Spotlight Comes Increased ScrutinyGAO/IG Media

Only 9,100 homes weatherized in 2009, out of a planned 593,000 according to GAO

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Weatherization Has Turned the Corner

GAO Data Outdated

•The GAO report cites figures from September 2009 - almost five months out of date

•The GAO report also erroneously said that our goal was to weatherize 593,000 homes in 2009 

Issues Have Been Resolved

• Davis-Bacon wage determinations issued in all 50 states. DOL resolving appeals and conformance requests in a timely fashion.

• Clarified how states should handle historic preservation

• Increased staff and working with states to resolve any remaining barriers

Turned the Corner by End of 2009

•Weatherized more than 125,000 homes in total

•On track to weatherize more than 250,000 this year 

•Since September 2009, we have tripled the pace of Recovery Act-funded home weatherization

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You Are Changing Peoples Lives, Tell America

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We Must Step Up to the Challenge and Deliver

ARRA Goal by March 2012 = 593K

Create Jobs Now: Network Weatherize 30 K Homes/Month

Your States Share of Goals – Reach Pace by March 2010

•We can meet these goals as a network•Many states already on pace•Letters went to your state leaders with state share•Let us know what resources you need

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Buy American – Benjamin Goldstein

Section 1605 if the Recovery Act (the Buy American provisions) applies to public buildings or public works

Private homes are not covered by the Buy American Provisions

Buy American does apply to public housing that is owned or fully leased by the city, state, municipality or federal government

Grey area when public housing is government-subsidized. DOE is

working on additional guidance

All nationwide categorical waivers granted apply to all of EERE, including WAP

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Buy American – Benjamin Goldstein

If there are specific products that are difficult to locate from domestic manufacturers, grantees can fill out the RFI posted on the Buy American webpage

Http://www.1.eere.energy.gov/recovery/buy_american_provision.html

Questions can be directed to buyamerican@ee.doe.gov

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Release of Hold on Remaining 50% of Obligated Funds - Bob Adams

Weatherization Program Notice – 10-05Effective Date November 10, 2009

PURPOSE: Provides guidance to Grantees under the Weatherization Assistance Program describing required performance to access remaining 50% of obligated funds

GUIDANCE: Department of Energy will provide Grantees access to the remaining 50% of obligated funds based on the following:

30% of all units estimated to be weatherized in plans are completed

Each grantee has fulfilled monitoring and inspection protocols in state plan

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Release of Hold on Remaining 50% of Obligated Funds - Bob Adams

Grantee is monitoring local agencies at least once a year for compliance, fiscal, state field policies and guidelines

Local policy control efforts are in place

At least 5% of the completed units are inspected by Grantee staff during the

course of the year

Grantee progress reports are acceptable

Monitoring reviews confirm acceptable performance

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Privacy of Recipients of Services - Bob AdamsWEATHERIZATION PROGRAM NOTICE 10-08 EFFECTIVE DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2010

PURPOSE: To issue guidance for the Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) on maintaining the privacy of recipients.

GUIDANCE: This guidance is provided to States or other entities named in the Notification of Grant Award as the recipients of financial assistance under the WAP, including the recently added Territories.

States receiving funds under WAP have been receiving numerous requests for

information regarding the implementation of programs funded through the ARRA.

The information requests range from informal inquiries by local elected officials

and other community leaders to requests for specific information about recipients

from local and regional press outlets.

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Privacy of Recipients of Services - Bob Adams

• DOE will work diligently with any state WAP or local service provider to gather the required information and provide it to the requestor.

• DOE must comply with all requirements on the Government to protect the privacy interests of individuals who participate in these financial assistance programs

• DOE would be legally required, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6), of the Freedom of Information Act, to keep confidential any specifically identifying information related to an individual’s eligibility application for WAP, or the individual’s participation in WAP, such as name, address, or income information

• States and local service providers should extend that same protection to their client records for WAP

• States may release information about recipients in the aggregate and which

does not identify specific individuals, i.e.the number of recipients in a county, city or a zip code does not compromise the privacy of the recipients.

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Historic Preservation – Bob AdamsWEATHERIZATION PROGRAM NOTICE 10-012Effective Date: FEBRUARY 11, 2010

PURPOSE: To provide guidance regarding the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA or “the Act”), 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq. This guidance relates to DOE Grantees of the Weatherization Assistance Program for Low-Income Persons (WAP), the State Energy Program (SEP), and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG)

GUIDANCE: DOE coordinates with the Advisory Council on Historic

Preservation (ACHP) and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation

Officers (NCSHPO). NCSHPO has developed a Prototype Programmatic

Agreement to address historic preservation requirements for WAP, SEP

and EECBG.

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Historic Preservation – Bob Adams

A manageable framework for streamlining compliance with the requirements of the Act while ensuring the protection of the Nation's historic properties

On February 5, 2010, ACHP released the Prototype Programmatic Agreement (Prototype PA) for use by DOE, State Energy Office Grantees and individual SHPOs to address historic preservation requirements

The Prototype PA allows flexibility between States while recognizing that many States have already instituted effective consultation protocols that can be applied to DOE's programs

Through this Prototype PA, a categorical approach to streamline reviews and reduce the heavy burden placed on SHPOs should expedite the obligation of Recovery Act funds

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Davis-Bacon/Commercial Labor Rates - Greg Reamy Weatherization Program Notice 10-04Effective Date: November 10, 2009

PURPOSE: Provides guidance to grantees and local agencies and/or their contractors under the Weatherization Assistance Program on the determination of the cost-effectiveness of weatherization materials installed in multi-family buildings.

GUIDANCE: To address the potential difference in wage rates between high-rise buildings and low-rise buildings when determining cost-effectiveness.

DOE is defining installation costs so that local agencies and/or their contractors may to use the existing weatherization worker wage categories to calculate the cost of installing each measure The actual wage paid for installation in a high-rise building must still be the commercial prevailing wage for each of the disciplines used on the project This guidance effects only the calculation of cost-effectiveness for the purpose of weatherization materials installed under the Weatherization Assistance Program

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Davis-Bacon/Wage Determinations - Greg ReamyWEATHERIZATION PROGRAM NOTICE 10-7Effective Date: December 14, 2009

PURPOSE: To issue guidance on implementation of revised Wage Determinations (WD) issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) for Recovery Act funded grants under the Weatherization Assistance Program.

GUIDANCE: DOE will amend the WAP Recovery Act grants with States to incorporate the revised WDs. The amendment language in the WAP Recovery Act grants will specify a prospective date when the revised WDs must be incorporated into all subawards and contracts for use by local agencies and contractors.

Revised WDs will become applicable when a new task or job order for weatherization construction is issued by the local agency or contractor and, at the beginning of a local agency’s or contractor’s certified payroll period

This approach should provide States, local agencies and their contractors a reasonable amount of time to modify subawards and contracts at each level. Revised WDs should have a minimal impact on States, local agencies and their contractors regarding Recovery Act funded WAP grants.

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• Last evaluation done two decades ago

• In 2004, OMB recommended to DOE that this evaluation be done (see http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0667.html)

• Process to design this evaluation was begun in 2005

• A national Weatherization Network Committee provided guidance for this evaluation

• DOE tasked ORNL with conducting evaluation for PY’s 07 & 08 in Spring 2009

• PY 07 was chosen to provide DOE and OMB timely energy savings estimates

• Some components of this evaluation now overlap with the ARRA period

• This evaluation is now fully funded with ARRA money

• This evaluation provides important baseline information

National Evaluation – Frank Norcross and Joel Eisenberg

WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM NOTICE 10-11Effective Date: November 10, 2009

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Draft reporting program guidance available for review here:http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/wip/draft_recovery_act_reporting_guidance.cfm

Monthly program report to include:

DOE WAP Proposed Revisions to ARRA Reporting - Frank Norcross

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Clarifying Monitoring Requirements - Jean Diggs

WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM NOTICE 10-9Effective Date: January 15, 2010

PURPOSE: To clarify the monitoring requirements contained in Section 4.0 GRANTEE PROGRAM OVERSIGHT (Program Monitoring) of Weatherization Program Notice (WPN) 09-1B, Grant Guidance to Administer the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Funding, dated March 12, 2009.

The provisions of this guidance apply to States or other entities named in the Notification of Grant Award as the recipients of financial assistance under the Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program, including the recently added Territories

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The Grantee must conduct comprehensive monitoring of each subgrantee at least once a year and the Grantee’s plan must include a monitoring plan to provide adequate oversight of use of DOE funds by Subgrantees

The comprehensive monitoring must include review of client files and subgrantees’ records, as well as inspection of at least 5 percent of each subgrantee’s DOE-funded completed units.

If inspection reveals quality control or other problems, Grantee shall increase the number of units monitored and frequency of inspection until all issues are resolved.

Clarifying Monitoring Requirements - Jean Diggs

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Success Stories – Loretta Prencipe

Amplify your positive stories:

Energy Empowers

Events - weatherization demonstrations, ribbon cuttings

Identify positive impact stories to highlight for DOE leadership

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Recovery Act (ARRA) Close Up ProjectTawanna Holloway

Communications Effort: led by DOE Headquarters and supported by SMS

PURPOSE:

Highlight the positive impacts the state or territory has experienced as a result of the Recovery Act (ARRA)

Showcase new initiatives or projects as a result of the Recovery Act (ARRA)

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Close Up Project – Next Steps Continue to develop Close Ups as information is

submitted by each Grantee.

These Close Ups will be maintained through the end of the Recovery Act – March 2012.

Final Close Ups will be provided back to the Grantee to use in their local public information campaign efforts, as well as:

• Posted on WAPTAC site

• DOE will use Close Ups within internal and external communications activities

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Objective

Identify and Recognize High Performers

Share Best Practices

Accelerate Progress

Generate Positive Stories

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Awards

• Quarterly– WAP Recovery Award of Excellence– WAP Most Improved– WAP Innovation Award

• Monthly– Most Jobs Created– Most Homes Weatherized– Most Homes Monitored

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Jobs, Costing & Monitoring Metrics

where…

eq. 3b

eq. 3c

eq. 3d

eq. 3e

eq.4

eq. 3a

eq. 1

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Weatherization Metrics

where … eq.2a

eq. 2b

eq. 2c

eq. 2d

eq. 2e

eq. 2f

Funding ratio eq. 2g

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Example

Jobs State Wxd State Costing State

1 OH 1 MS 1 DE

2 MD 2 GA 2 LA

3 NH 3 WA 3 VT

4 VT 4 UT 4 OH

5 MS 5 DE 5 ND

6 MN 6 ME 6 UT

7 AR 7 NE 7 VA

8 VA 8 OH 8 MT

9 MO 9 ND 9 WA

10 WA 10 PA 10 MA

11 GA 11 SC 11 MN

12 WI 12 NH 12 NE

13 WV 13 MA 13 IA

14 OR 14 MO 14 IN

15 SC 15 IN 15 CO

Monthly Quarterly

  State Rank

1 OH 4.333333

2 WA 7.333333

3 VT 11

4 MN 12

5 VA 13

6 NE 13.33333

7 MO 15.33333

8 DE 15.66667

9 GA 16.33333

10 MS 16.66667

11 MA 18

12 AR 19.66667

13 NH 20.33333

14 ND 21.66667

15 UT 21.66667

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Next Steps• Solicit Feedback• Explore NASCSP and PO Involvement• Program Guidance

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Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers Grants – Tyler Huebner

BASICS– Authorized in EISA 2007, Section 411b– “Expand WAP to include materials, benefits, and renewable and

domestic energy technologies not covered”– Grants go to local weatherization agencies– Priority for a) effectiveness and benefits, b) replication of results, c)

health, safety, and energy costs, d) partnerships with public/private entities for resources including financial partnerships

– Up to 2% of funding in years for which funding is over $275 M– Totals $109 M for ARRA + FY2009 (regular and supplemental)

STATUS– Issuing Request for Information– Key RFI Question: Do some local weatherization agencies have

capacity and interest in receiving these Grants?

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$30 million Weatherization Innovation Grants – Tyler Huebner

BASICS– “Provides $30 M … for the development of a pilot project that

would increase the leverage of Federal funding through the formation of partnerships between the Department and traditional and/or nontraditional weatherization providers.”

– Funded through FY 2010 appropriations for $30 M– Key objectives include New partnerships, Leveraging Federal

funding, and Improving key metrics (homes weatherized, energy savings, jobs created)

STATUS– Issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement– Applicants will have 8 weeks to apply