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StumbleState releases $7.1M in stimulus funds to weatherize Vegas homes
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 | 1:50 p.m.
Sun Archives
CARSON CITY – The state Housing Division has signed a contract to release $7.1 million for weatherization of homes in Las Vegas with federal stimulus money.
The money is going to the nonprofit Help of Southern Nevada, which will sign contractors to do the work on 1,222 homes by June 30, 2010, in all of Clark County except Henderson.
Craig Davis, grants and project analyst for the housing division, said the contractors will have to comply with a 2009 law that requires workers to receive prevailing wages, be offered health insurance coverage and 50 percent of them must have completed a state apprenticeship training program.
There was a tug-of-war between Democratic state legislators and Gov. Jim Gibbons over whether his administration was following the law in the training of the workers. But a compromise was reached.
The prevailing wage in Las Vegas for weatherization workers or for door and window replacement workers is $15 per hour. For air conditioning, furnace and heating installations, the wage will be $39.23 an hour. For an electrician working on these weatherization projects, the prevailing wage is $54.76 an hour.
A carpenter will be paid $15.34 an hour and a plumber will make $28 an hour.
A family of two with a gross household income of $29,140 or less will qualify for the weatherization. A family of three would be eligible for the work if it earned a gross household income of $36,120 or less.
The work includes insulation, energy efficient windows and installing efficient air conditioners.
Help of Southern Nevada covers all of Clark County except Henderson, where the nonprofit Neighborhood Services will get the contract.
Help of Southern Nevada is the second agency to sign a contract. The housing division freed up $695,693 Wednesday to Nevada Rural Housing to weatherize 115 homes in Carson City and the counties of Lyon, Douglas and Storey.
The housing division has another $18 million in stimulus funds to award at a later date.
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I hope there is some sort of audit to verify that this work is actually being done. It sounds like it has the potential to be a huge public rip-off.
I'm working but I would still like to have my home weatherized. After paying federal taxes for others to have their homes improved, I don't have enough left over for my home improvements.
Gosh, what should I do?? Quit my job so I can live more comfortably??
So you're telling me the poor folks down the street will get to increase the value of their house at MY expense. Yes, that sounds really fair. It's such an incentive for me to work hard every day...so others can reap the rewards. Excuse me, I gotta go work some more overtime--just so I can eat...and buy aluminum foil to 'weatherize' my windows.
what, no henderson? and what is the limit for a family of 4? i want to sign up!
@ VegasSucks
Amen. You could not have said it any better. I think I am going to put my two weeks in notice right now. Honey, put the sweaters and huge blankets aways because we are getting weatherized this year!!!!
STIMULUS - Another name for a new tax that the overtaxed taxpayer has to pay but will not benefit from it at all. Somebody voted for these people!!!
Select Arizona homeowners had a similar program done years ago in which the weatherized savings went from the property owner's pockets to governments in the form of higher property taxes.
Under no circunstance would I let some semiliterate union goon onto my property. I have done numerous projects around my home and I always put into the contract that no union members will be allowed on my property.
okay I understand homes need repairs, but "weatherizing"?? and our money is going to do this for people? it's not like it's gonna get down to 20 below this winter. as for the a/c - you have to maintain this stuff for it to keep working. I hope the criteria fo rthis help is stricter than what is in this article. like vegasucks says quit your jobs so you can new Pella windows and doors anda Trane ac unit.
wonder where these homes are located. any guesses?
redneck
it is up to individual states to dedcide how they want to use the stimulus money. this money could have been used for something else like for the schools. Obama had nothing todo with how NV spends the money.
I'm sure E- verify won't be implemented.
Who will be the contractors involved?
If any citizen signs on to this and realizes that they possibly have illegals working on their home call ICE and let them know whats going on.
Somewhere "we the people" have got to provide our own checks and balances, our government obviously won't.
Where do I mail an application for this weatherization stuff?
Oh, it's not for me... It's for a needy friend...
He is called "Birdie" and has to live in a cage.
His cage is drafty causing him to squawk.
And with only one roost, the Bird gets rather cranky.
The Bird's cage has no windows, so he has a closed mind.
For a floor, his cage is lined with old copies of the LV SUN. And with no bathroom there are no stories left to be read in the morning.
The Bird is only allowed out of his cage to search for worms early in the morning. He has been heard calling for worms as early as 3:00 in the morning.
Poor thing does not have a TV to watch FOX News.
He has to get his news from someplace called "KOS."
So, if possible, I would like to see the Bird's cage be insulated so thick that we can hear not a word from the Bird.
And, if you have extra money, please put a large picture, of Harry on the floor.
Oh, the Bird has no phone and doesn't need much. But a direct line to Harry would sure be nice. Then the two of them could hold town meetings between themselves and those who will listen.
Don't spare any costs, as I am sure we all will end up paying, because the Bird is deserving.
Is Help of Southern Nevada part of ACORN?
Weatherization grew out of a problem during the 70s, the oil crisis.
Before that, guess what path you take if you couldn't pay your heat bill?
Yep, you could get it paid!
Well, that wasn't too bad until prices skyrocketed. Old folks were dyin in their homes for lack of heat. Funds were gone!
Poof! CETA program trained thousands of workers to caulk, weatherstrip, insulate, deal w/ window needs, ventilate, upgrade burners, furnaces, boilers, AC, etc.
1980. Harvard. Blower door was invented. A huge wave of understanding came over this world about how to measure accurately and reliably the leakiness of structures. Accountability and verifiability to demonstrate value of improvements became widespread. Specialized contractors use these whole house measurement devices together with smaller duct blasters for evaluating tightness of critical link of most expensive air in the house--what's on the way from the appliance.
Thermographs show these 'Performance Comtractors' how heat is moving and they can 'wow' their homeowners with cool new gadgets that assist in visualization of the concept. And guide the work to be done with an audit, a plan based on savings per cost, and return on investment per item.
In 32 years DOE weatherized over 6,000,000 homes of elderly and low-income Americans. Building science has developed to the point where we are now because of the initial investment in upgrading homes and putting folks to work in an effort to reduce residential energy waste, a huge chunk of our consumption pie.
Up in Oregon, the AG caught the oil companies overcharging their customers to the tune of $2+ Billion. They started their own state weatherization program and GAVE back like $5,000 in furnaces, windows, insulation etc. to oil heat Oregonians for a couple of YEARS. Then they whittled it back to just $2500, and then down to $600 but you get low interest loans for everything your audit said was practical.
The funny thing about the whole ordeal is that the oil customers stayed with oil. Their weatherized homes were so easy to operate that switching to gas made absolutely no sense. Why jump ship if it's a couple a hundred a year? So who won by getting caught breaking the law?
LOL
Det. Munch---You're 100% wrong. The weatherizing is a mandated federal program.
http://earth2tech.com/2009/01/29/the-wea...
Your very wrong Det. Munch.. This money, like most Congress passes is EARMARKED. hail "the leader" and all his little acorns.
The 'leader' was who came up with this scheme was a Republican.
Wanna waste lives and money? Live in an unweatherized place.
2.2 billion dollars going into the hands of a guy Gibbons hired coming from the County Recorders Office. What experience does he have in weatherization, construction or handleing that kind of money. Who's going to over see him? Beside that, they are going to pay him 250,000. salary. Wouldn't it be better to let someone from Building and Safety Dept over look the spending, that way it won't have to be done twice to pass inpection. I'm all for helping the underdogs but something sound fishy to me.
Don't worry folks. ACORN is going to find a way to get its hands on some of this sweet do-re-ri. It's all under control. Nothing to see here.
The ripple effects of weatherization are significant in the long run. We get: jobs doin the work, material sales from manufacturers, much more comfort inside for the resident and all down the road, lower bills and more spending money, and an appreciation of the fact that our people are doing the best we can to get by. Less carbon in the air. Healthier homes. Jobs. Money in pockets of locals, not NVEnergy tycoons.
It's a win-win hand to play for Nevada.
My mistake; thanks for that site.
The govt is going to spend the borrowed money anyways, why not on fixing poor peoples windows and doors? Why waste energy if you dont have to?